Sakotis
by LLockedOut
Summary: Sakotis: a traditional Lithuanian dessert served at special occasions, with a labor-intensive preparation. However, the work is always worth the result. Emilia was proving to be as such. She would make him work hard, she would test him, but in the end he believe he could shape her into something more spectacular than either could imagine. HannibalxOFC
1. Chapter 1

_Sakotis: a traditional Lithuanian cake that is frequently served during special occasions such as weddings and Christmas Eve. The cake is a large, hollow ring with what looks like horns or spines around the edges that are created from dripping batter as the cake is turned around and around on a spit-like cooker._

FBI Training Academy, Quantico, Virginia

Hazel eyes watched as a handful of workers shifted tables and display cases around the dimly light room. It's dark navy walls and the lack of light made the room all the more ominous, but this was all by design. Anyone who walked into the space from the only doors would be met with a large half moon shaped room spreading out before them, like standing on the arm of a paper fan. There was a skylight in the center of the 20ft ceiling, that had been placed there at the dark haired woman's request of the room feeling too much like a tomb. Yes, this room was exactly to her specification. She had been lucky the head of the BSU liked her, she couldn't have created this project without him. While her line of work didn't often lend itself to proud accomplishments this was one of the few for the young woman. Emilia wasn't fond of the fact that her occupation was carried on the backs of death and misfortune, but it was the nature of her field. She joined the FBI to help save lives, which looking back was a foolish notion that it could be that simple. However Emila had found something in that made her feel like she was doing some good. With a Masters is Criminology, Emilia was the proud co-founder and curator of the Evil Minds Research Facility. Designed as a training tool, the EMRF was filled with an assortment of items that pertained to the top serial killers of the United States. Some items were evidence used in the cases, other were found after the fact that contained help clues and signs. The facility would act as a reminder as to what people were capable of, and how there is a little evil in everyone. Through that, Emilia would help early recognition of serial killer tendencies and help quicken the capture process.

When she first pitched the project, she had spent months prepping. She had started with a exhibit on John Wayne Gacey. She had written report upon report about the indicators found among his paintings that were seized and how the related to his mental state. She made connections to wear the paintings were hung verse were bodies parts were found, as well as how the painting changed from the first kill to after he was caught. And her parents thought her minoring in Art History would be a waste... Thankfully Jack Crawford had been impressed, and together that had come up with the Evil Minds facility. That was a year ago, and now after a 3 month lull Emilia was going to finally get to put a new addition in the exhibit. The Minnesota Shrike had been plaguing the region for months and now he had finally been caught. Within 24 hours of the attempted arrest that led to Hobbs' death, Emilia had thoroughly combed through the Hobbs home and gutted it of anything that were pre-analyzed signs and evidence. They sat in the evidence room just waiting to be added to the facility. However they couldn't reach their new home until the display cases were set up in spot that had been made for the Shrike.

The woman paced back and forth across the room, her eyes never leaving the workers. She had to make sure they didn't disrupt or accidentally damage anything. The facility needed to be slightly reorganized to make room for the Shrike exhibit, and Emilia had found a nice spot for him between the Zodiac Killer and BKT Killer. There was only one space in the Evil Minds Facility that would never be moved to make room or reorganize. In the very center of the half moon room, compiling of 5 display cases and two tables, was the exhibit dedicated to the Chesapeake Ripper. It was the only exhibit of a serial killer that was unsolved in the whole facility, and it was Emilia's favourite. The young woman had studied the Ripper during her undergrad and had found a sick artistry to the crimes.

The clicking of heels suddenly halted in front of her desk which was tucked against the peak of the curved wall. Running a hand through her hair, Emilia leaned against it and surveyed the space in front of her. The sound of _Vesti La Giubba_ by Pavarotti hung on the air, covering the small huffs of the men and the sound of scrapping furniture legs.

Manicured nails tapped along the woman's arm as she itched to get things started. Emilia released a controlled breath out through her mouth and tilted her head back. She closed her eyes and let the sound of Pavarotti's voice fill her mind. Slowly, she began constructing the Minnesota Shrike exhibit behind her eyelids. She knew what had already be analyzed and processed, and placed them in the imaginary cases. She laid out all the new items on the fictional table and started to decide what she would begin with for her research.

"...and this is where everything relevant to the Minnesota Shrike will go. I know you're not a fan of it, Will, but this will help us learn to prevent further killers from getting as far as Hobbs did."

Long eyelashes flutter up as Emilia fixed her eyes on the source of the voice. She smiled at Jack Crawford as he approached with three people behind him. "This will be their caretaker. I can assure you everything is in very capable hands."

The four people stopped in front of the brunette. Emilia wasn't sure who the petite brown haired woman was, or the tall man with the dark hair. Her hazel eye lingered on him for a moment, and when he didn't break her stare she tried to blink away the wave of uneasiness that washed over her. She did however recognize the shorter man with the black glasses and a scowl.

"It's good to see you again, Mr. Graham" Emilia said. "I know we didn't meet on the best of terms last time. Although I must thank you for bring me an exciting new project."

She was met with a small nod, Will's brain to busy processing everything that lined the walls.

"Where exactly are we, Jack?" The small brunette woman spoke from behind the FBI Head. The older man closed his eyes with a smile, letting his younger agent take the reins and bask in their successful endeavor. Emilia held her arms out wide as she pushed herself away from the desk.

"Welcome to the Evil Minds Research Facility. A room filled with memories of the most notorious serial killers of the United States." Lowering her arms, Emilia smiled and walked towards the center of the room. As she passed the group she didn't notice the small intake of breath the tall man took as she walked by. Turning around, she spoke again. "A facility used to for training new agents and place to research the theories pertaining to serial murders. The work of Jack Crawford and myself, the EMRF stands to help aid the the quick capture of killers before they commit multiple offences and to forever remind us of the flaws in society and the need to remedy them."

Jack couldn't help but chuckle. "Alana, this is Special Agent Emilia Monroe. Monroe, this is Dr. Alana Bloom."

The women shook hands. "Dr. Bloom, I've read some of your work. It's a pleasure." The older woman smiled back.

"And this," Jack said turning to his left, "is Dr. Hannibal Lecter. He's helping Will get acclimated with working in the field again."

Dr Lecter stepped forward. Emilia held out her hand for the Doctor to shake but was surprised when he lifted it to his lips. "A pleasure, Ms. Monroe."

The woman smiled at the Doctor but couldn't ignore the twist in her stomach. Something about the intensity in his maroon eyes made her hair stand up. "Quite an interesting project you have" Dr Lecter said as he lowered Emilia's hand. She thanked him, in a voice that was much quieter than she normally used. He continued, "I'm curious... why does the presentation in the middle of the room seem to be immune to the hands of the movers?"

The woman smiled as she turned to the center display. "This exhibit is dedicated to the Chesapeake Ripper, the only unsolved case in the EMRF."

"Monroe has a bit of a soft stop for the Ripper" Jack interrupted from behind. The young woman rolled her eyes playfully. Alana Bloom gave her a displeased look, while the Doctor only raised a thin eyebrow.

"He doesn't mean like that Alana" Will muttered from the opposite side of the display cases. "These aren't built like some shrine to the actual person. There's nothing of personal value or influence anywhere that suggests love or obsession. The focus is on the evidence itself, each dedicated it's own space. It can't be moved, Doctor Lecter, because it's not finished. Just like a crime scene, it can't be tempered with without risking damaging a clue."

Emile laughed under her breath. "Thank you for your analysis, Mr Graham" she spoke as she ran a finger over the edge of the case. "We studied the Ripper during my undergrad. I was fascinated by the execution of the murders. As terrible as they are, there is something artistic about them... almost poetic. He's the purest form of a Sociopath. Completely voice of any remorse for his victims, seeing them only as a painter sees his paint... as a tool for his own pleasure. When we started the Evil Minds Facility I knew the Ripper deserved to be here and I couldn't wait until he was caught. I mean, that's if he ever is. Part of me hopes I'll be the one to do it. Pipe dreams of course, I'm only a junior agent. It doesn't stop me from looking over this stuff every day. I have found some interesting things though. "

She pointed to an open book in one of the cases. "This is my latest discovery. Sitting there is a handwritten French medical textbook. It contains a organ removal practice that causes slight tearing on the surrounding tissue but allows the organ to be removed quickly and completely intact, without fully opening the patient. It is only taught in three medical schools because it can cause some discomfort to the patients after the fact. They are in Hong Kong, Russia, and France. We found this trend in all the Rippers Victims to date. We know the Ripper has medical knowledge, and know we have narrowed down were he studied at some point. They have so many students it's impossible to pick him out based on that alone... but it's a step in the right direction."

Emilia turned to see everyone's eyes scanning the pages of the book. Expect for Dr Lecter's. His maroon eyes were already staring hard at the young agent, that uneasiness creeping back up her spine. His lips pulled up into a small smile as Emilia looked away. She continued to talk about what was housed in the Ripper's exhibit, all the while feeling a hot gaze on her face.

* * *

After about an hour of chit chat and a brief tour of the so called Evil Minds Research Facility, Hannibal and the others were ready to depart. The Doctor allowed himself to be excluded from the conversation as they headed towards the door and let his footsteps slow down until the group was far beyond him. His dark eyes watched the others pass through the door as he silently waited. There was something for him to attend to first. He tilted his head and inhaled deeply. An alluring scent met his nose again. It was a mixture of coffee, vanilla, and orange bloom. The scent imprinted itself on his mind. She was a smart girl. Making small discoveries, but discoveries all the same, to help with the Ripper case. While he was impressed with her attention to detail and prowess, he couldn't trust that she wouldn't eventually stumble upon something more incriminating. Hannibal didn't leave evidence, but if this girl could craft a profile so damning he could be a bit of trouble. Especially now that Will Graham was providing an interesting experiment, he would be very annoyed if he had to hold back to prevent detection. Yes... the Doctor would have to keep an eye on Emilia Monroe.

Once Hannibal was sure Jack and the others were gone far enough down the hall he turned around and walked towards the back of the room. Maroon eyes observed for a moment as the young woman leaned over her desk. He watched as she swayed ever so slightly to the classical music that echoed around the room, completely focused on her work. His eyes followed trails of her long brown hair that caught stray beams of light from the skylight and appeared like twists of chocolate down her back. The Doctor watched as a thin hand reached back and pulled her hair over her right shoulder. For a moment he caught a glimpse ivory skin stretching from her neck and dipping under her jacket. The man's mouth started to salivate slightly at the thought of what a delicious pork shoulder roast he could make, with a small alteration to the 'pork' portion. Maybe someday Emilia Monroe would find herself on his table, but she had done nothing to warrant that as of _yet._

Closing his eyes and letting out a small breath, Hannibal focused his thoughts.

"Ms Monroe."

Hannibal's lips turned upwards as she jumped with a small gasp and whirled around.

"D-Dr Lecter. My apologies. I thought you had left with Jack and the others. What can I do for you?"

"You need not apologize, Ms. Monroe."

The younger woman shook her head with a small smile "please, call me Emilia."

"Emilia" the man affirmed, quite enjoying her name on his tongue. "I was curious if I may ask a favour of you." When she nodded her continued. "Would you consider allowing Mr. Graham and I to use your facility? I believe being able to review the details of the Minnesota Shrike case and the events that led to Garrett Jacob Hobbs' death may help Mr. Graham cope with the emotional aftermath he is facing."

Emilia blinked her hazel eyes as she processed the request. "Oh, well I don't see why not? I'm afraid I would need to have someone in the facility along with you both. It would most likely be myself, to be honest. Would that be alright? For Mr. Grahams therapy, I mean."

Hannibal felt his lips pull back into a closed grin. "Of course, I would not have it any other way... Emilia."

The older man gave a small bow of his head before turning to leave. He took one more intake of air through his nose as he exited the facility.


	2. Chapter 2

It had been a week since Jack and his group had been in Emilia's facility. She had since spent her time pouring over the items of the Shrike case and beginning to set them up in their new homes. It was a little after 3pm on a Friday, and there was still so much to do. She had dressed down today, wearing a simple pair of tan culottes and a white long sleeve shirt. Her long hair was pull up in a messy bun to keep out of her face. Emilia sat in her chair with her legs tucked underneath her, shoes discarded under the desk. The young woman twirled a pen between her fingers to the sound of Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake as she submersed herself in her work. There was an array of papers scattered on her desk that her hazel eyes scrutinized. No one had found the bodies of the original victims of Garrett Jacob Hobbs yet so Emilia was trying to find any indication of where they could be or what could have been done to them. A long arm reached out and grabbed the coffee her assistant had gotten her. She rested her lips against the rim and closed her eyes. The woman tried to picture the Hobbs house from memory. The navy walls of the research facility faded away and morphed into the quaint house of a seemly normal family. She knew that Hobbs had a cabin that him and his daughter Abigail would frequent when hunting, which would be the most likely place to commit the murders, but she wondered if there was any trace of them in the house. Emilia could imagine herself walking through the halls of the Hobbs' home. She constructed the picture filled walls and the open kitchen. Her feet silently wanted the walls until she reached the living room. Slender finders ran along the edge of the couch, pausing at an ornate looking pillow. Just as she gripped the pillow she was brought out of her thoughts by a voice.

"Em? Sorry to bother you..."

Long eyelashes fluttered up. Emilia's fingers were no long holding a pillow, but wrapped around her coffee mug. She lowered it from her lips and set it down on the table. She smiled at her assistant, Sarah, standing in front of her.

Sarah was an intern, writing her thesis in criminology at Baltimore University. She was a soft spoken girl with a good heart, and the pair got along really well. They were close in age, Sarah being twenty three and Emilia being twenty seven, and they were closer to friends than colleagues. In the year and a bit they had known each they had gotten quite close from working so frequently together.

The brunette smiled at the petite blond woman before her. "Don't sweat it Sarah. What's up?"

The blonde tucked a piece of chin length hair behind her ear. "They are people here to see you" she said, "I know you're busy but they said you were expecting them." A slender eyebrow raised as the young girl stepped to the side.

Emilia leaned to her right and peered around Sarah. Her lips pulled back into a smile at the two men standing there. The woman slipped her feet back into her black mules and stood. "Mr. Graham, Dr. Lecter, welcome back." She walked around her desk and placed a hand on Sarah's arm. "I'm sorry Sarah I forgot I had this appointment. Why don't you head out? You put in a long day with me yesterday."

Large green eyes widened slightly. "Are you sure? I don't mind staying" She asked.

Emilia laughed lightly. "Of course. I have Dr Lecter and Mr Graham to keep me company now and I know you have some thesis research to tackle. Besides, doesn't that cute barista get off at 5? Would want to miss him right?" She winked at the young girl, causing Sarah to laugh and shake her head.

"Okay! Okay! You're the best you know that?" The blonde reached under the desk and pulled out her purse. "I'll see you tomorrow morning, I'll bring coffee!"

Sarah nodded her head towards the two gentlemen and hurried out of the facility. Once she was gone the brunette turned her eyes to the other two and gestured around to the room with her left hand. "The facility is all yours. I'll just be finishing up some stuff but I'll stay out of your way."

"You didn't need to do that, Ms. Monroe" Will Graham said.

She waved her hand. "Please call me Emilia. And I did. You and your mind are very important to Jack. I'm sure he wouldn't like unnecessary ears listening in on how you deal with the aftermath of such brilliance."

The man simply nodded and turned towards the Shrike exhibit. Emilia turned to smile at the Doctor. "Is there anything I can get for you, Dr. Lecter?"

The older man smiled and held his arm out to the exhibit behind him. "I would love for you to join us. It is your facility after all."

The woman was perplexed momentarily. What could she possibly help a renowned psychiatrist with? Nevertheless she nodded and walked passed the man. She once again failed to noticed the small of breath the man took. The pair walked over to join Will Graham at the Shrike exhibit. The bearded man was scanning the photos that were propped up in the glass case. The bright faces of the eight victims smiled out through their frames, starkly contrasted by the pictures of the corpses beside them. Hazel eyes looked over the photos she had spent hours pouring over before she had solemnly set them in their permanent homes in the case. "People do the craziest things. Garret Jacob Hobbs seemed like a normal father and husband from the outside. Maybe a little quiet and reserved. Without you, who knows how long he would have continued killing."

Will spoke without turning away from the case. "Abigail was getting ready to go off to college. Hobbs would have stopped right after he killed her to stop her from leaving him."

"She's lucky you saved her."

The man finally turned and scoffed. "Saved is a loose term here."

The Doctor had been so quiet behind the pair that Emilia had almost forgot he was there. She was surprised when she felt the warmth radiating off his body as he stepped closer to her side opposite Will.

"I see you don't have any pictures of Cassie Boyle. Will she not find a home in your exhibit?" Dr. Lecter's voice was close to her ear as he leaned over her shoulder. She found something quite exhilarating in his closeness, the smell of rosemary and cedar filling her lungs.

"Uhm..." Emilia cleared her throat. "Cassie Boyle wasn't killed by the Minnesota Shrike so she has no purpose in the exhibit. Investigators have ruled it out as Hobbs, merely someone who was trying to imitate him."

She could almost feel the Doctor chuckle due to his closeness. "The investigators ruled her out or you, Ms. Monroe?" He asked.

The woman turned to face the Doctor. "Well, I did. Then I explained to the team and they did too. It was off of Me Graham's doubts that I felt the need to dig deeper. I do have the photos taken from her crime scene, but like I said they don't belong in here with those girls." She held his maroon eyed gaze as his lips pulled into a small smile.

"Where does she belong then?"

A shiver ran down her spine. "I don't know."

Hannibal Lecter clicked his teeth playfully. "I think you sell yourself short, Emilia."

The woman gave a small nod and took a step back. "I should let you get back to your therapy." A slender hand reached up and smoothed out her hair that pulled into her bun. The woman retreated back to her desk. She sat down and grabbed the top file from the stack. She opened it and began to leaf through the contents, photos of the Hobbs family before Garret Jacob Hobbs was killed. They had seemed like a normal family... they took vacations and had family dinners. She felt her eyes focusing on the young brunette girl between the two parents. Abigail Hobbs... the sole survive of the Hobbs family. She couldn't imagine what it was like for that poor girl. In a blink of an eye she had lost her everything she knew. Despite surviving, Abigail Hobbs still lost her life that day.

A little voice in her head stopped her from grieving the young girl for a moment.

 _"I don't trust her"_ Jack had said. _"Abigail Hobbs helped her father kill those girls. The pair were on college tours at the same schools as the victims right before they went missing. I don't believe for a second that the Hobbs girl wasn't aware of her father's actions."_

Jack always trusted his gut, and his gut was telling him that Abigail Hobbs was involved with these murders. Emilia's eyes drifted back to the smiling face of the girl in the photos. Could she really be involved with murders? The woman closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Abigail reminded her of someone, someone that hadn't been in Emilia's life for a while. The big blue eyes, free spirited smile... and the gut wrenching feeling feeling that this poor girl was brought into something dark. Maybe that's why she wanted to believe Jack was wrong. She didn't want to believe that a nineteen year old girl with so much ahead of her would be a partner in her father's murders, of girls that could easily be her friends. Maybe she just got wrapped up in something bigger and darker than her. Just like... No, she couldn't compare the two. She didn't know Abigail like she knew the other girl. All she knew were the facts of the evidence and that Jack's gut was more right than it was wrong. She wouldn't let her past taint her judgement, but she also wouldn't blindly follow Jack's view. She have to see for herself. Emilia couldn't finish the Shrike exhibit without knowing where Abigail fit in all this, and if she was lucky she may be able to help the girl get through this mess.

Signing, the brunette opened her eyes and was surprised to see a man standing in front of her. Tired eyes scanned the contents of the desk as a hand ran over his beard. Will Graham let out a sharp breath as he picked up a picture and frowned. She looked at the back of the photograph he was holding and read the ID written in her familiar handwriting, _Cassie Boyle - UNKNOWN._

"It's... terrible" He muttered. "Garrett Jacob Hobbs had... meaning to his kills. He killed to protect his daughter, in his mind, and he made sure to not let any of them go to waste. But this... whoever killed Cassie Boyle didn't do it for any reason. He did it because he could, and because this is fun for him. He mocked her and us. It wasn't done with any misguided mercy or anything. It's just..."

"Murder" Emilia finished for him. Will nodded and fixed his sharp blue eyes on her.

She stood and walked around the desk as she continued. "We understand Garret Jacob Hobbs. We see why he did the things he did and can put together his reasons. We can _feel_ why he did them. We've been conditioned to be content with murder as long as it's for a purpose. It's why people can murder animals for their meat but won't tolerate someone beating a dog. Steak has a purpose, kicking a dog does not." Emilia leaned against her desk and faced Will. "The thing that bothers you about Cassie Boyle is the same thing that bothers me. We can't see a reason in it. She was killed for apparently no reason other than to be put on display for someone's kicks..." She paused. She had said something similar about another serial killer at one point. Hazel eyes darted to the Ripper display and she was surprised to be met with dark eyes staring back at her. Hannibal Lecter was standing beside the Ripper cases with a small smile on his lips. She tried to ignore the shiver the man seem to constantly cause as it crept down her back and tried to focus her train of thought. Could Cassie Boyle have been a victim of the Ripper? It had been two years since the Ripper had killed, could this be a comeback? She couldn't believe it was coincidental that Cassie Boyle fit Hobbs' type, but the Ripper didn't need to piggyback on another killer. The woman was pulled out of her musing as the smell of rosemary and cedar hit her senses. She was surprised to see Dr. Lecter stand beside her, looking down at her. She barely registered that Mr. Graham had still been speaking.

"S-sorry, what was that last part Mr. Graham" she said with a slightly far off voice. She turned to see the man shaking his head.

"Call me Will" he said. "Mr. Graham makes me feel like I'm back in my lecture hall."

Emilia cocked an eyebrow. "I would think you would enjoy teaching. Passing your knowledge on to future generations and all that."

Will caught on to the humour in the woman's voice and offered a small smile. "This might surprise you, but I'm not incredibly 'social'. He turned his eyes back to the picture and his voice grew solemn again. "I said Cassie Boyle was nothing more than field kabuki."

Emilia took a moment to process the man's words before nodding. She grabbed the photo from his fingers, along with a glass frame and a permanent marker from her desk. She walked over to the Shrike display and pulled out a small set of keys from her pocket. The two men watched at she unlocked one of the display cases before uncapping the marker and writing something on the bottom of the glass frame. Slipping the picture in she put the frame in the case before locking it back up. As she put the keys back in her pocket she stepped back and turn to the other two, motioning them over.

The photo of Cassie Boyle sat in the display class with the words _Cassie Boyle, Killer Unknown. Murdered for Field Kabuki during the Minnesota Shrike Case. -Will Graham_

"There you go, Will" she said with a small smile. "Thank you for your contribution to the Evil Minds Research Facility."

Will Graham let out a small laugh before shaking his head. Emilia turned to Dr Lecter, expecting to find his maroon eyes already looking at her. She was surprised to see his gaze fixed on the photo of Cassie Boyle, pursing his lips in displeasure. When he felt her eyes on him he turned. After a few seconds the smile she was getting used to seeing tipped the corner of his lips as he gave her a small wink before turning away.

Will Graham started taking about the Shrike case again and his words barely reached Emilia'a ears. She too caught up in watching Dr. Lecter walk up the Chesapeake Ripper exhibit. He seemed almost as fascinated by the Ripper as she was, although something didn't sit right with her about it.


	3. Chapter 3

Hannibal and Will left shortly after six in the evening. Emilia had stayed a bit longer to tidy up, but she couldn't focus on processing any more for the exhibit. Her mind was riddled with thoughts on how to talk to Abigail Hobbs. She needed to see if anything tipped her off about the girl's involvement, but if she asked Jack to set anything up he'd assume she already found something. While a smart mind, he sometimes jumped to conclusions and was stead fast in his opinions. With no other ideas coming to her, the brunette decided to call it a night and head home.

By nine o'clock Emilia was waking down the hall to her apartment, the thought of a hot shower to relax growing more and more appealing her head. She lazily pushed her key into the lock on the door and swung it open. Once inside she shut the door behind herself with her foot as she flung her purse to the ground.

"Roch, I'm home!"

The sound of plastic on hardwood echoed through the apartment as a girl rolled out on a office chair from around the corner. Emilia smiled and shrugged her jacket off.

"You're late" the girl said. Before Emilia could reply the doorbell rang. Rochelle hopped off her chair and walked to the door. "Lateness equals pizza" she said as she flung it open. A young man with a white cardboard box stood on the other side. Emilia's roommate paid the young boy at the door as she handed the brunette the cardboard box before taking her change and closing the door. She took the box from the brunette and set in on the living room table as Emilia went to change.

Rochelle and Emilia had been friends since college. They had met in an awful biology class second year and moved in together the year after that. Their professor had been a foul man who had a bad temper and a bit of a misogyny problem. After enduring the torture that was Professors Sabick's class the pair had been best friends ever since. The two knew everything about each other, often thinking themselves more as sisters than roommates. While Emilia went for her Masters in Criminology, her friend had gone to Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. A couple years later the girls found themselves splitting a bottle of relatively expensive champagne on the floor at their apartment to celebrate achieving their dreams, Emilia getting a job with the FBI and Rochelle becoming a resident at the hospital. The girls were the only family either had in the state, and they were there for each other through thick and thin. Rochelle had wanted to be a ER surgeon since she had moved to Baltimore from Jamaica when she was seven with her parents. Her mother had been a doctor, and Rochelle wanted to follow in her footsteps. Her dedication to her dream never wavered, even when her parents moved to Florida 9 years ago. Now she was in the final year of her residency and Emilia couldn't be more proud of her friend.

"So how was work?" Rochelle asked, resuming her spot in her chair and rolling back to her desk with a slice of pizza. Emilia pulled a sweater over her head as she walked out of her room before grabbed a slice herself and dropping on the couch beside her laptop. "Interesting actually. Remember when I told you Jack brought those consultants to see the facility?"

The roommate nodded without turning around.

"Well Dr. Lecter actually came by with Will Graham today and we got to chatting-"

Rochelle abruptly spun around, "Doctor _Hannibal_ Lecter? That Dr. Lecter?"

Hazel eyes stared at her quizzically. "You know him?"

The other woman explained how while she didn't know the Doctor personally, she knew of him. Hannibal Lecter was an alumni of Johns Hopkins. While he mainly guest lectured Psychology courses, he did a few talks for the surgical residents due to his impressive medical knowledge and practice. Rochelle had been lucky enough to attend one of these talks, as spaces filled up quick for them.

"He's a big deal, Em" Rochelle concluded. "In both the medical and psychological fields. For him to ask to use your facility is insane. You should be really proud of yourself!"

Emilia gave a halfhearted smile trying to hide the feeling of slight unease the bubbled in her chest at the thought of the Doctor. Unfortunately for her, her roommate saw through it instantly.

"What's wrong?"

The brunette shrugged, "it's nothing." When Rochelle continued to stare Emilia knew she wasn't going to let it go. "There's just something about him. There's such a presence about him. It's so intense and powerful. I feel like his eyes are always on me. I'll look at him and he's already looking back, like his eyes are always analyzing my ever move. It... I don't know, it just gives me a weird feeling. I feel like helpless prey being stalked by a wolf. But he's super nice when he talks to me, it's not like he's rude or blatantly dislikes me. Plus, he seemed interested in my work. He asks so many questions about me and my opinions. He even grilled me on my thoughts on the Ripper." Emilia stretched her arms above her head before adding, "Maybe he things I'm a psychopath deep down, you tell me that all the time right? Maybe this is my second opinion."

The woman smiled at her roommate. "It's probably nothing. I'm just over thinking this. He was very nice and professional."

Rochelle seemed to be processing what her friend had said. After a moment of silence she spoke. "I don't know, Emmy. He's a very private person. He doesn't really interact with any of the students from his lectures from what I know. He always keeps to himself before hand then leaves promptly after. Anyone I know who has gotten a few words in with him hasn't said he seems weird, so I don't know what to tell you." Rochelle smirked and continued in a singsong voice. "But you're a successful young woman, and as far as I know there's no Mrs. Lecter..."

Emilia threw a pillow at her friend as Rochelle wiggled her eyebrows. "You're such a loser."

"Hey!"

Rochelle caught the pillow and paused. She fixed her friend with a hard gaze before throwing the pillow back. "Do my eyes deceive me? Are you blushing?" She grinned. "Oh my god do you have a thing for Dr Lecter?!"

The brunette's mouth hung open and she froze, mid reach for another slice of pizza.

"I just met him!" Emilia defended. "I mean he's good looking but that's not the point! I also just said he gives me a weird vibe. Plus, I barely know him and he's almost twice my age."

Rochelle threw her pizza slice back into the box as she tackled her friend. "Please, his age is a selling point babe! Damn my little Emmy is trying to get herself a DILF."

"You're unbelievable, I'm not doing anything" she laughed as she shoved her friend off. "Dr. Lecter is a work acquaintance. Once Will Graham is over this Shrike case I'll probably never see him again."

"Ten bucks you're having dinner at his place in a month."

Hazel eyes started at the hand outstretched in front of her. Rolling her eyes she took it

"Deal. Only so I can gloat when you turn out to be wrong."

After dinner and watching some reruns of old TV shows Rochelle headed to bed. Once she was gone Emilia clicked on her laptop and opened her browser. Clicking the search bar she typed 'Doctor Hannibal Lecter'.

"You got to learn about me, my turn to learn about you Dr. Lecter" she whispered to herself.

* * *

Hannibal sat in the chair in his office. Maroon eyes watched the flames in the fireplace flicker and lick the stone walls around them. His scotch danced in it's glass as he swished it around, deep in thought. He had been initially concerned that the young woman Jack had introduced to him could be a thorn in his side. He was impressed with the intelligence of the girl and the connection she had made in the Chesapeake Ripper case thus far, but she was a potential inconvenience for him. While he was confidant in his methods and ability to keep his identity a secret he wasn't foolish enough to not take out a potential threat, no matter how small. The man smiled. He had initially set up the therapy session at the Evil Minds Research Facility to figure out how to get rid of Emilia Monroe quickly, but he never anticipated that the young woman would peak his interest in anyway other than how he would cook her. She was a bright girl, with a passion that Hannibal found very intriguing. She was so enveloped in her work, leading her to see a beauty in death that others didn't. She saw beyond the brutality of it and saw the spiritual.

As his pulse began to quicken with the thrill the young woman was presenting, Hannibal closed his eyes.

The man had gotten lucky when a mind like Will Graham's fell into his lap, but while he waited out the inevitable outcomes of his test with Will, perhaps Emilia could be a fun puzzle in the interim. There was more to her than met the eye, that he was sure.

He let his mind play their interaction earlier that day as he planned his next move to bring Emilia into his web.

 _"So, Emilia, tell me about yourself."_

 _The woman blinked at the tall man standing beside her. They faced the Ripper exhibit, having stopped there by 'chance'._

 _"I'm sorry?" she said, caught off guard by his request._

 _Hannibal smiled. "Tell me about Emilia Monroe. You've accomplished a lot so far, the Evil Minds Facility is quite impressive."_

 _"Thank you, Dr Lecter" she said earnestly. "I'm afraid I'm not that interesting though. Besides the facility my FBI record isn't anything special. I mostly deal with small cases in the field and only more serious ones once they're essentially over and in the EMRF."_

 _"Yet you help advise on the Ripper case despite him not being caught" he countered._

 _The brunette let out a low laugh. "I think Jack humors me with the Ripper display. I haven't made any real breakthroughs. He finds my enthusiasm interesting, and probably a bit concerning deep down." Emilia smiled at him. "I know you're a psychiatrist, but I promise it's nothing weird."_

 _His thin lips curled upwards. "The thought never crossed my mind. Although I must ask, what does draw you to the Ripper?"_

 _Emilia pulled the set of keys out of her pocket and unlocked the display case in front of them. She reached in and pulled out one of the glass frames._

 _"To be honest, I find a sick beauty in the Ripper. This job makes you disassociate death from emotions. You have to be level headed in the field, read the evidence and let that lead you to the right answer. Not to mention as a society we pick and choose who deserves death. We don't care if a murderer gets killed during capture but we feel for his victims. I just..." Emilia gestured to the photo. "Maybe it's the old art student in me but I find something artistic in these. Yes they're terrible crimes, but there's a passion in them that's kind of memorizing. I've spent so much time going over these pictures I've kind of stopped seeing them as corpses and more like-"_

 _"Works of art"Hannibal finished._

 _The woman smiled as she turned and crossed her arms. "So, Doctor, what's your diagnosis?"_

 _The man reached out a strong hand and rested it on the younger woman's elbow. "The next Ripper in the making" Dr. Lecter said, humour clearly in his voice. "But don't worry, I won't tell Jack."_

 _He winked and noticed a faint tint of red creep onto the young woman's face. Emilia laughed softly. She could tell he was joking, although there was the smallest hint of future propositions in his words that the woman could not grasp yet. "_

 _Good, I won't have to add you to my list then" she teased. They held each other's gaze for a moment before Will called the young woman over. Her elbow slide from the doctor's hand as she turned and walked over to where the other man stood._

You're an intriguing woman, Ms Monroe.

* * *

Chapter 3! Thank you all for reading, following, and favourting this story 3 Please feel free to review/pm to let me know what you think so far!


	4. Chapter 4

Emilia walked through the halls of the Training Academy with a warm coffee in her hands. Dr Lecter and Mr. Graham had stopped by late last night after a rough case. A man by the name of Eldon Stammets had been putting his victims in diabetic comas to turn them into a fertilizer for his mushrooms. He had avoided capture and almost kidnapped Abigail Hobbs. Eldon had learned about the girl from a Tattle Crime article posted by Freddie Lounds. Will Graham was a bit shaken by the incident and Dr. Lecter thought it best for them to visit the evidence of how Mr. Graham had saved Abigail, to try and quell his guilt in involving her in this case too. The trio spent most of the visit talking about Abigail and her father, making the woman itch even more to go the the young girl. The more she looked into the case the more she was torn on Abigail Hobbs. The girl could have very easily been a tool in her father's crimes, the footage of the pair on campus tours that Emilia had found certainly gave Jack's feelings some footing, but the woman needed to talk to Abigail herself to get more information rather than speculation. She had barely slept the last couple nights, her mind constantly running with thoughts of Abigail and a pair of intense maroon eyes, so she found herself feeling slightly drained this morning. Her tired state made her opt for comfort today, wearing a floral navy dress that fluttered around her thighs above her knee high brown boots. Her long brown hair flowed freely over her shoulders.

It was just after lunch when Emilia found herself strolling down the fifth floor hall, a hot cup of coffee in her hand. Her third one that day. As she turned down the hall to the elevator a raven haired woman joined her at her side and matched her easy stride.

"Katz" the woman said with a smile.

Beverly Katz smiled back, taking a sip of her own coffee. "How's it going, Monroe?"

"Can't complain, almost done with the Minnesota Shriek exhibit. You? How are Zeller and Price?"

The other woman shook her head. "Pains in my side, as usual. You still seeing that guy?"

Emilia almost choked on her coffee, "Bennett? Oh god, no. Haven't been with him for almost a month now. He was sweet but... almost too sweet, ya know?"

"Oh I get it" the woman said with a laugh. "Nothing screams sexy like a man with a bit of edge. Too bad there's a shortage of them."

A familiar face flashed in the woman's mind, one that definitely shouldn't have. She shook her head and tried to ride the image of those high cheekbones and thin smile.

"How about you?" the brunette asked, nudging the raven hared woman. "Still chatting with... oh what was his name? Gerard?"

Laughter echoed down the hall. "Noooo way. Got a little too touchy on the second date, kicked him to the curb real quick. Oh, I almost forgot the reason I came to find you! Have you hear the news about the Hobbs girl?"

The pair paused and Emilia stared at Beverly. "What news?"

The raven haired woman leaned in, "Abigail woke up from her coma early this morning. Jack sent someone to see her, Dr. Bloom or Will Graham I think. Jack won't give up on this thing, he's convinced Abigail had something to do with Garrett Jacob Hobbs' murders. He's having us triple check the evidence and comb through every last detail over and over. It's getting crazy. We've found some stuff that could maybe be more that a coincidence but nothing substantial in my eyes. This is turning into a manhunt..."

Emilia only half heard the rest of what Beverly had said, her mind already racing on how she could get to see Abigail. She couldn't ask Jack to send her without his questioning why. If her boss really was on a manhunt, then she would only add fuel to the fire by asking to go see Abigail out of the blue. Jack would see it as her doubting the young girls innocence in the murders. As the women reached the elevator they said their goodbyes and parted. Emilia felt like her whole was vibrating with anticipation as she reached her floor and practically sprinted to the Evil Minds Facility. Reaching her desk she placed her coffee on the top, already committing the remains to getting cold and sitting there until the next morning. She pulled her keys out of her pocket and unlocked the bottom right draw. Putting her purse on the table she began to fill it with the items she planned to bring to Abigail. Emilia had carefully selected items that would not be needed in the Facility and would open a possible window for conversation with the young girl. The woman had one shot at this, knowing that once Jack found out she had been to visit the Hobbs girl she wouldn't get a second chance.

* * *

"Special Agent Emilia Monroe, here to see Ms. Abigail Hobbs."

The man behind the desk stared at her ID in his hand before flickering his eyes to her face then back down. As Emilia waited for the receptionist to verify her ID, she pushed down the sick feeling in her stomach. She hated this place. After all this time she never thought she'd set foot in the stone walls of Port Haven Psychiatric Facility ever again. Finally the man reached over and pulled a white book over to himself. He leafed through the appointment jotted down in it, stopping on the current date.

"I don't see an appointment here for you, Ms Monroe. The only person slotted in here for Abigail Hobbs is Dr. Alana Bloom earlier this afternoon. I'm afraid I can't let you in without an appointment."

Emilia pursed her lips. She tried to think of something to say that would get the receptionist to let her in. Before she could find anything a voice spoke from behind her.

"Let her in Burrows, Ms. Monroe doesn't need an appointment to visit anyone in these walls."

The young woman spun around and was surprised to see a familiar grey haired nurse. "Penelope" she said with a sad smile.

The older woman nodded to the man behind the desk who promptly grabbed a blue VISITOR's badge and handled it to Emilia. "Come dear" she said, motioning to the staircase. "I'll show you to Abigail Hobbs' room."

Emilia followed the Penelope passed the desk and up the stairs. "Thank you" she whispered as the pair reached the top. "You didn't have to. I don't want to get you in any trouble."

The older woman waved off the comment. "Please, my dear, it's nothing. I'm glad to see you though. It's been a while. My, how long now..."

The brunette nodded, her lips pulling down into a frown. "Three years in November." Despite that, Emilia could remember this place like the back of her hand. The halls were still dimly lit to not make the white walls appear too asylum like, and the air still smelt like bleach masked by artificial vanilla.

With a sad look, Penelope placed a hand on the woman's shoulder as they stopped in front of a door. "This is her." With one last squeeze the nurse turned and walked back in the direction of the staircase. With a slight pause in front of the door, a slender hand raised up and gently knocked. A faint and confused 'come in' could be hind from behind the wood so Emilia reached for the knob and twisted it open.

A pale brunette girl sat on the bed in the centre of the room. She lowered the book that was in her hands and stared at the older girl with large blue eyes.

"Hi." Emilia said softly.

"Are you another psychiatrist?" Abigail asked coldly.

The woman shook her head. "No, I'm Agent Emilia Monroe of the FBI." She could have sworn for a moment she saw a fleeting emotion of fear in Abigail's blue eyes. She smiled to try to assuage the girl's feelings. "Before you ask, I'm not here to ask you any questions. I'm here as... let's say as a friend."

Blue eyes narrowed slightly. "Sounds like something someone would say to get the right answers to the questions their 'not' asking."

"Touche" Emilia grabbed a chair and pulled it to the bedside. She sat down, eyeing the untouched shopping bags beside the night stand as she set her bag on the ground beside her. "I see Dr. Bloom brought you some clothes. That was nice of her."

Abigail eyes the bags suspiciously before looking back to her visitor.

"I'm sorry for what happened to you, Abigail" the woman continued.

The young girl snorted. "I've been hearing that a lot. And every person who's said it has looked at me with that same look. They all think I helped him. That's why you're here isn't it?"

The older girl smiled sadly. Abigail was a smart girl, she knew what situation she was in; yet she didn't seem overly concerned about any of it. Her only concern was putting up walls to protect herself, because she felt like she's all she has. More fight then flight, always. She was more and more like Ashley by the minute. Emilia reached for her purse and brought it to her lap. "Actually" she countered, "I'm here to help you survive the hell that is Port Haven."

Abigail stared, slightly taken aback. "Have you ever stayed here...?"

Chocolate curls bobbed as she shook her head. "No."

"But you know what it's like here. So you know someone in here?"

"Not exactly" Emilia replied. "But you can take solace in the fact that I want to make your time here as painless as possible, and help move along you release. Now," she shifted in her chair as she changed the topic. "I'm dealing with the evidence regarding your father's case. Given that he was killed before we got a statement from him or your mother, your entire house was considered evidence. I brought you some things that I don't need, but I think you do."

Emilia pulled out a stack of pictures and handed them to the younger girl. She watched as Abigail shuffled through them, her lips turning up slightly. She muttered a small 'thank you', and Emilia could see it was genuine. There was a small puff of air from her lips that could have been a chuckle as she passed a photo of her and another girl her age. Now was the turning point. Abigail was starting to open up to Emilia, and now would be the time to probe a little deeper into the details of Garrett Jacob Hobbs' crimes and life. But seeing the way her blue eyes lit up at the reminders of her old life, the older girl felt sorry for Abigail Hobbs. There was one piece of evidence that Emilia had brought along that was actually very important to the case. She had found it mixed in with the young girl's clothing, obvious hidden in a draw and tossed unknowing by the cleaners into the bag. She had yet to document it, as something in her gut told her to wait. If Jack found out about this piece of evidence, there was no doubt in the woman's mind that Abigail would be found guilty as an accomplice. Emilia had hid it, feeling that it could be the younger girl's one chance to redeem herself and tell he story how she wanted it to be told. How it actually happened for her and not just what the evidence said.

Reaching her hand in again, the woman pulled out a red journal. Once again she saw fear pass through the blue eyes. She held it out for Abigail.

"That's..."

"Your diary" Emilia finished. "Yes. I know that writing can help deal with traumatic event, so I imagine you need this now more than ever. I read it, I'm sorry to say, but I needed to for the case. You understand. I want you to know Abigail, I haven't documented this yet. I've made copies of all the pages, so if I need anything from those pages I do have them still. Now..." the woman leaned forward. "I want you to take this as a sign of my trust, Abigail. I've seen a lot in this line of work in the short time I've been in it. More importantly, I've see the signs when someone is crying for help. I will be honest with you Abigail, thinks don't look good right now. There are a lot of angry families demanding answers from the FBI, and some people have already made their mind up about you-"

"Have you?" Abigail interrupted. "Have you made your mind up about me?"

The agent leaned back in her chair and ran her right hand over her lips, "in a way. I think you're more a victim than a culprit, but it all depends on how you take control of this situation. Your diary is how you can take control. You may not have said it, or wrote it, but there's enough evidence in those pages that anyone in this field can know exactly how much you were involved in your father's crimes. But like I said, I think you're another victim, regardless of what you were _forced_ to do. I want to help you, Abigail. If you let people in, I think you can move on from this."

Abigail remained silent, staring at the older girl with a wary look. It became evident that she needed time to process this, still not one hundred percent sold on the validity of Emilia's offer and feelings. After a long pause between the pair Emilia spoke again. "I'm not asking for anything from you Abigail, I don't want a false testimonies or to get you to plead to anything that's not true. I know you got caught up in something that you couldn't get out of, I understand that. I just want to help you, and to do that I need you to think long and hard about all this. You're a smart girl, with a lot to offer the world. Don't let this ruin your future." Throwing her purse over her shoulder, the woman stood and turned towards the door. "if you need anything, my number is written in the back of the journal. Ask a nurse named Penelope to use the phone, she'll make sure no one gives you a hard time about it."

"Wait!"

Emilia turned to Abigail.

"Will you come back?" The young girl asked. "When you come to visit whoever you know here, will you visit me?"

Hazel eyes blinked slowly, a sad smile forming on full lips. "I'll visit you again, Abigail, if that's what you want. If not, I don't have any other reason to come to Port Haven anymore."

Blue eyes filled with a bit of hope, "so the person you knew here... they got out then?"

"Unfortunately no." When Abigail said nothing, Emilia spoke. "Take this as another sign that I genuinely want to help you, Abigail... the girl I knew who was forced to live in these walls died in them. She refused the help of people who cared about her and her pain drove her to suicide. I don't want to see that happen to another person with a bright future."

With a heavy sign she turned around and opened the door. The woman barely heard the small and somewhat scared voice asking 'what was her name?'.

Emilia looked over her shoulder. "Her name was Ashley, she was my younger sister."

* * *

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	5. Chapter 5

Emilia had tried to make her visit to Port Haven as quick and quite as possible. She had asked Sarah to watch the EMRF while she stepped out to check something in Foresics. She had made it back to the FBI building without a hitch, and was on a high from her little adventure. She wasn't one to act out against authoriry, her teenage rebel phase was quite short and sweet, and especially not against Jack as he had been such a huge proprietor for her success. But she needed to do this. She had initially gone to Port Haven to try and get some information out of Abigail Hobbs, but seeing the young girl looking helpless and lost has struck a cord with her. Abigail didn't know it, but Emilia could see the fear and uneasiness in the girls eyes regardless of the front she put up. It was the same look Ashley had anytime she had visit her there.

" _Ash you need to eat."_

 _Emilia's hand fell limp as her sister continued to stare out the window of her room, completely ignoring the brunette in front of her. The smaller girl was curled up in a chair next to the bolted down window. Her sandy hair was thin and stringy due to lack of nutrients and her bones pressed too closely to her skin._

 _The older girl could feel her eyes start to sting but she took a deep breath to hold back any tears. "Please... I'm begging you Ashley. Just eat something."_

 _Ashley's thin face slowly turned to her sister. A skeleton like hand reached out and grabbed the apple from Emilia's hand. Their eyes met for the first time in hours and Emilia could feel the tears start to fall freely._

 _Ashley's pale blue eyes were sunken into her head with dark circles hanging below them, but that wasn't what hurt Emilia the most. It wasn't even the pain and sadness that filled the blue orbs. It was the terrified looked that was fixed upon her sister's face. It was one of utter fear and helplessness, and Emilia hoped she'd never see that look on anyone's face again, especially not her sister._

 _I'm so sorry Ashley..._

Emilia was brought out of her thoughts by a familiar voice.

"...if Abigail didn't help her father maybe she knows who did."

The young woman had been so lost in thought she let muscle memory guide her back to the facility, not remembering that she'd have to take a detour around Jacks office. An office that was predominantly glass walls. She couldn't back track now. She had already stepped into the view of the room and he would notice her if she abruptly turned around. The woman could only hope that whoever he was talking to would keep him too distracted to notice her. It wasn't out of the ordinary for her to wolk by his office, but she didn't know if he had been by the EMRF yet today without asking Sarah.

Emilia kept her head forward as she crossed the space adjacent from the desk in the room. She didn't dare look to see if someone was in there or if he was just on the phone, but she could still hear Jack talking to someone.

Luck was not on her side anymore.

"Hold on a moment please Doctor... MONROE! Get in here!"

 _Shit..._

Emilia paused for a spilt second before turning and back tracking into Jack Crawford's office. The man was seated behind the large wooden desk with two people sitting across from him. Hazel eyes first recognized the dark hair of Dr. Alana Bloom, who met her eyes for a moment before fixing Jack with an annoyed look at the interruption. They then found themselves locked in a gaze with the familiar maroon eyes of Dr. Hannibal Lecter, who stared back at her with a look of amusement. She lastly let her eyes meet the stern stare of Jack.

Emilia put on a smile and hoped this was about something else. "Jack, what can I-"

The man slammed his open palm on the table. Jack's tone made it evident that her jig was up.

"Agent Monroe, I was just downstairs talking to Sarah because Katz wanted to see you in Forensics and the young woman said the strangest thing. Apparently, you left to go to Forensics over an hour a ago. Funny thing is I was in Forensics earlier and... You. Were. Not. There. Then, I get a call from a man named Ben from Port Haven saying that Abigail Hobbs had an unscheduled visitor and wanted to double check with me because they had apparently pulled strings to get inside. Care to explain for me?"

The young woman could hear the anger bubbling in her supervisors voice and all eyes were on her intensely. She tried to quell his rage before he exploded. "Sir..."

"What the hell, Emilia! You're sneaking around behind my back now?!" The older man ran a hand over his face in exasperation. He took a deep breath and let it out slowly through his nose. When he spoke again, his voice was more calm but equally as sharp. "I know you, Monroe. And I know you know me. If you went behind my back it's because you felt you needed to, for whatever reason. And I'm willing to bet this has something to do with Abigail Hobbs' involvement in the murders. I have a lot of angry families breathing down my neck, so if you have a hunch I need you to be straight with me, Emilia."

Emilia tried not to let her relief show on her face. She decided it was best to stay silent and let the older man continue. "Now given the situation it's one of two things. It's either something that makes my feelings more plausible but you weren't sure of yet, or it's something you found that you needed more information on. So spit it out. Why the hell were you visiting Abigail this afternoon?"

Maroon eyes stared at the young woman's face, skillfully containing his intrigue in watching the situation unfold.

Emilia couldn't think of what to tell Jack. While she was very certain Abigail had some involvement, she wasn't sure how willingly that involvement was. She offered to help the girl and she couldn't go back on her word. There was a chance Emilia could help Abigail and Jack, she just needed a bit more time. The young woman's eyes surveyed the room before she sighed. "I can't tell you that Jack."

"Agent Crawford is your superior-" Dr. Bloom started, but Jack cut her off.

"Don't Alana" he said. Dark eyes met Emilia's hazel ones and the pair stared at each other. "Fine. You don't have to tell me today, maybe not even tomorrow, but I swear to God Emilia you better tell me soon. You got that?"

The young brunette nodded. "Thank you sir. I promise there's a reason."

Jack shook his head and a small smile finally crept onto his lips. "Since you're here now Monroe, and you did see Abigail, you might as well stay."

Dr. Lecter began to stand to offer Emilia his seat. Her hazel eyes noticed his gesture and she placed a gentle hand on his arm to stop him. She kept a polite smile on her face despite the shiver that ran down her back, as her fingers brushed his warm arm through the fabric of his blazer. "Oh there's no need, Dr. Lecter. I can grab another chair. Thank you though."

The man smile at her and nodded, before lowing himself back down. Emilia turned and grabbed one of the spare chairs that always sat in the corner of Jack's office and placed it just off to Dr. Lecter's right. Once she sat down Jack spoke.

"Let's continue. You were saying Doctor?"

Hannibal cleared his throat and brought his eyes back to Jack as they had been transfixed on the young brunettes face.

"I was going to ask Dr. Bloom how Abigail Hobbs when she saw her" he answered. The other Doctor replied quickly

"Surprisingly practical" Dr. Bloom said. Before she could elaborate Jack cut in, "suspiciously practical?"

Hannibal leaned forward in his chair. "I would suggest she can be practical without being a murderer."

Unimpressed with the doctor's reasoning, Jack turned his head to the young woman. "Monroe?"

Emilia let her eyes sweep the room before answering. "She's a smart girl. I think she's very aware of her situation and isn't letting herself feel anything right now. She's unsure of what comes next so she's trying to keep everything inside to not give anything away. No one is her ally here, or so she thinks. With no one to trust she's trying to keep herself protected."

"I think she's hiding something" Dr. Bloom added sharply. Of course she couldn't just agree with Emilia. The young girl wasn't sure why the older woman felt so threatened by her and her opinion. Emilia was jut trying to be helpful in the case.

"It may simply be her trauma" Dr. Lecter countered.

Alana Bloom continued. "And it could be more, she has a penchant for manipulation, withheld information to gain information, and demonstrated only enough emotion to prove she had them."

"Are you being to appreciate my lack of sympathy, Alana?" Jack said with a hit on snide to his voice. "Did you find the same thing Monroe?"

Emiila shook her head. "She was fairly responsive to me."

The young woman could practically feel the burning of Dr. Bloom's stare. She was starting not to like the woman. She felt like she was constantly being talked down to, and while she wasn't a psychiatrist she was a trained FBI agent with a masters in Criminology. Emilia had just as much to bring to the table as Alana Bloom.

"Maybe she was simply manipulating the conversation with you as she tried to do with me" Alana offered.

"I don't believe so. She was closed off in the beginning, as you described Dr. Bloom, but she did open up to me after a bit. We are closer in age, maybe she saw me as more of a potential friend."

Before Alana could comment Jack cleared his throat. He fixed Emilia with a hard stare, which she answered with a silent raise of her slender eyebrow. The two agents held a wordless conversation, causing both doctors to be slightly confused by the interaction.

"Was it a bit more than the age that gained some of the Hobbs girl's trust, Monroe?" He asked.

Emilia could tell right away what her boss was referring to. The toughest chapter of her life had started soon after she became an agent, so Jack was very aware of what happened with her sister, Ashley. She nodded, "not initially but toward the end it seemed like a good way to solidify her trust."

Jack smiled slightly. "Smart, Monroe. While I don't like you going being my back I'm starting to see a benefit from it. Keep me updated from now on though, that's an order."

The brunette nodded again. Dr. Bloom opened her mouth to no doubt probe into what the two agents were referring to but Dr. Lecter spoke before she got the chance. "Alana, going back to what you mentioned before. You said it may be more than trauma, yet you question her involvement in the murders her father committed?"

The older brunette shook her head. "What I'm questioning is her state of mind." Alana said. Her blue eyes bounced back and forth between the two males, purposely avoiding eye contact with the younger woman.

The FBI chief sighed and allowed his eyes to close for a moment. Opening them he spoke in a stern voice, one that Emilia knew meant there was no changing his mind of whatever he was about to say."I want Will Graham to talk to her."

Alana looked mortified. "Jack! Not yet!"

"You are not Will Graham's psychiatrist, Dr. Bloom." Jack countered. "Dr. Lecter is."

Emilia tried not to smile at the offended look on Alana Blooms face. She instead focused her attention on the older doctor. Dr. Letter seemed to contemplate Jacks suggestion before nodding slowly. "I think that could be beneficial to both of them. Will needs to feel justification in his actions and talking to Abigail may help him find them. I will accompany Will to Port Haven."

Alana Bloom scoffed. "Are you serious? This is a terrible idea!"

Jack ignored her and stood from his desk. "Good, he finishes class in twenty minutes. Dr. Bloom I'm sure we've kept you from you work long enough. I appreciate you going to see Abigail this morning. I'll keep you updated on Will's visit."

Dr. Bloom huffed slightly before standing. She nodded towards Dr. Lecter before turning to leave the room, never once looking at Emilia as she departed.

"Monroe, walk with us."

The remaining three in the office stood and turned for the door. Jack walked out first, while Hannibal held the door open for the younger agent.

"After you" he said, gesturing with his hand for Emilia to go ahead of him. She smiled and thanked him quietly before crossing the threshold into the hall. She was surprised when a warm hand rested on her lower back, guiding her through the door way.

After the trio exited the office, they started to walk down the hall towards the elevator. Jack looked over his shoulder to Emilia.

"I need you to head over to Forensics and talk to Katz. We suspect he was eating the victims, but couldn't eat all of them. I need you two to find out what he did with the parts he couldn't eat. Understood?"

Emilia nodded. "Got it." She turned to the tall Lithuanian man beside her. "Good luck with Abigail, Dr. Lecter."

The doctor smiled and nodded before Emilia turned down a different hall. As soon as she was far enough away from the two men, the young woman let out a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding. She got lucky with Jack that time. Hopefully she wouldn't need to hide anything from him again after she fingered out the whole Abigail situation. Although that was becoming the less of her problems. What was up with her lately? The tall older doctor had entered her life quietly yet with a bang. Her thoughts were trailing back to him more and more, and she found herself so wrapped up in getting to know more about him. There was this pull to him, and it was starting to irritate Emilia. Since when was she so breathless and struck but such simple contacted by a man? The woman shook her head, trying to ground herself. Maybe she was getting too wrapped up in this exhibit that her wires were getting all crossed. They were professionals trying to solve a murder case, this was no time for googly eyes.


	6. Chapter 6

Everything was turning out much better than Hannibal could have anticipated. As he drove to Port Haven, the doctor couldn't help but smile slightly to himself. When he and Jack had gone to see Will Graham about visiting Abigail Hobbs, the man had been giving a lecture on Hobbs' copy cat killer. His words were still fresh in Hannibal's mind.

 _The copy cat is an avid reader of Freddie Lounds and TattleCrime ._

As irritating as Ms. Lounds could be, she was making his hobby very easy. With her posting exclusive details about various cases she was opening up the suspect pool to anyone with access to her website. Not the Hannibal needed the help. He was matriculate in his craft and had perfected his methods. And yet, Will Graham was making connections that no one else would.

 _Before Garrett Jacob Hobbs murdered his wife, and attempted to do the same to his daughter, he received an_ _untraceable phone call. I believe the as-yet unidentified caller was our copy cat killer._

While Hannibal was no ones Copy Cat, he was impressed with the deduction skills on the blue eyed man. Will Graham was proving to be a possible equal, Something Hannibal had yet to find in his life. His brilliant mind and ability to empathize could prove useful to Hannibal, even if for nothing more that a interesting test of the human psyche. Will also saw something in the doctor's work that no one else ever did...

 _He had intimate knowledge of Garrett Jacob Hobbs' murders, motives, patterns... enough to recreate them and, arguably, elevate them into **art.**_

Hannibal paused his musings as his car rolled to a stop at a red light. No, that wasn't true. Will Graham was not the only one to see the beauty in Hannibal's work. The doctor had found another who held some appreciate for his art, someone very unlikely. While he had initially thought Emilia Monroe would be a minor threat he would have to dispose of, she was turning into quite the opposite. The young woman from the FBI was becoming quite interesting, much more so than the last agent he had dealt with. She had a keen mind, and was far more intuitive than she realized. There was also a lot more to her than Hannibal initially thought. On the surface she was a loyal agent, acting as the Head of the FBI's right hand at times. It was clear the woman had a loyalty to Jack Crawford, but there was something that was testing that. He didn't expect her to have a somewhat devious side, and he was sure Jack didn't either. While the older FBI agent seemed to think that Emilia was acting the interest of the FBI, Hannibal could read her better than that. Something was going on with Emilia Monroe. While she may have had more work related motives originally, they had changed for some reason and she was hiding those current ones from Jack. Hannibal wanted to find out what the young woman was hiding.

Arriving at his destination, the doctor parked his car and waited for Will to pull up beside him. He remembered Jack saying he had been told the young woman had 'pulled strings' to get in to see Abigail. He couldn't help but be curious as to what those string could be.

* * *

The pair soon found themselves back in the presence of the young Abigail Hobbs. After shooing away the viper that was Freddie Lounds they had convinced Abigail to take a walk with them. She had wanted to go to the gardens so they had slowly helped the girl make her way down the stairs to the greenhouse on the grounds. It didn't take long for Will and Abigail to start talking about Garrett Jacob Hobbs, both parties seeking something from the other. While Abigail seemed somewhat sincere in the loss her mother's death had caused, Hannibal could tell there was much more to Abigail then she was letting on. Alana was right, yet he couldn't help but think that the young agent had in fact gotten Abigail to open up more to her than the other doctor. He just needed a bit more information to be sure. The trio stopped by a wooden bench and Hannibal refocused on the conversation.

"... I know. I saw him kill her" the young girl said softly.

"He was loving right up until the second he wasn't" Abigail said sadly, slowing lowering herself to the bench. "Kept telling me he was sorry, and to just hold still. He was going to make it just go away."

"There was plenty wrong with you father, Abigail" Will offered, "but there's nothing wrong with you. You say he was loving. I believe it. That's what you brought out in him."

Abigail replied quickly, "that's not all I brought out in him."

Hannibal couldn't help but notice how bluntly the young girl spoke of that matter. It wasn't the tone of someone who just found out they held some responsibility in something awful, it was the tone of someone who had accepted that fact long ago. How thick the web was that Abigail Hobbs was weaving.

When neither of the men said anything, Abigail voiced a concern that had been flowing around her thoughts for longer than either of them knew. "I'm going to be messed up. Aren't I?" Her voice was small and held a genuine helplessness. The doctor wasn't sure why the girl felt the need to be so elusive with Alana but genuine with himself and Will, as well as Emilia. It didn't really matter thought, if anything it helped him manipulate the situation more.

"Maybe you should talk to some of the nurses here?"" Will said with sympathy. "They are here to help you Abigail."

The brunette girl frowned. "No they aren't. They all think I'm a freak.. that I'm just like my dad. I hear them whispering in the halls and see the way they look at me. I've been awake less than a day and I can already tell nobody wants me here."

It was Will's turn to frown. Hannibal was surprised by how quickly Will formed a paternal attachment to the Hobbs girl. Will placed a hand on the young girl's shoulder. "We can find you someone. Someone you feel comfortable with. Someone who you won't feel is judging you. What about Dr. Bloom? She came to see you earlier. She could help."

Abigail did little to hide her mistrust for the female doctor, which Hannibal couldn't help but find amusing.

"No" the young girl said sternly. "I don't want to talk to Dr. Bloom."

Will was unsure how to respond, but Abigail spoke again before he had the chance. "What about Agent Monroe?"

Both men were surprised by her question, one more than the other. Maroon eyes flickered to the other man, noticing his confusion. Hannibal cleared is throat before enlightening Will to the past events.

"It would appear that Emilia paid a special visit to Abigail this afternoon. Jack was not aware until the receptionist from this facility called him to double check the woman's credentials."

Blue eyes light up slightly, obviously comforted by the affirmation of the genuineness of Agent Monroe's visit.

"Yes," Abigail reaffirmed. "She was nice, and not obviously just trying to analyze me like Dr. Bloom. I want to talk to Agent Monroe."

The young girl stared at Will before looking over to Hannibal. The older man nodded with a small smile, "I will talk to Jack and let him know."

Abigail smiled and looked down at her lap. A moment later her lips dropped down again. "I'm worried about nightmares too."

"We'll help you with the nightmares" Hannibal offered.

Will slowly lowered himself to the bench beside Abigail. "There's no getting used to what you experienced. It bothers me a lot. I worry about nightmares too."

"So killing somebody" Abigail paused, "even when you have to do it feel that bad?"

Maroon eyes locked onto Will's face. The bearded man inhaled sharply. Hannibal knew Will would deny what he felt. He had enjoyed killing Garret Jacob Hobbs. It had made him feel powerful, just like it always made Hannibal feel powerful.

The other man swallowed before he spoke. "It's the ugliest thing in the world."

Deep down Will didn't believe that, and Hannibal couldn't wait to free that side of the man.

Abigail's breath grew shaking and she evidently fought back tears.

"I want to go home."

* * *

Emilia was surprised when Jack text her to meet him in his office later that evening. It had only been a couple hours since she had seen him, and she couldn't help but worry it had something to do with the latest visit to see Abigail. In the mean time she had gone to see Beverly, where the pair had discussed possible places Hobbs could have hidden the non edible aspects of the victims. The brunette had combed over evidence she had in her exhibit but there was nothing. She needed to go back to the Hobbs house to try and find them there. She had actually been about to leave Forensics to ask Jack to send her to the Hobbs residence when she received the message.

As the woman rounded the corner she could see that Jack was already sitting behind his desk with Dr. Bloom, Dr. Lecter, and Will Graham, sitting a cross from him.

"You wanted to see me, sir?" Emilia asked as she entered the room.

Jack Crawford nodded. "Yes. Dr. Lecter wanted you present for the recount of the visit to see Abigail Hobbs. Sit."

He nodded to the vacant chair between Dr. Lecter and Will Graham.

"Now that we're all here, let's talk about your visit to Port Haven." There was an edge to Jack's voice that worried Emilia. Something happened that he wasn't happy about.

"Abigail doesn't feel safe at Port Haven" Will stated. "She feels judged and alone. The nurses there make her feel like a murderer and she doesn't feel she can trust them."

"Looks like they're smart nurses then" Jack snapped. He ignored the glare than Dr. Bloom fixed him with.

Dr. Lecter spoke up. "Regardless, Abigail needs to feel like she can talk to someone. She needs a safe haven or else she will never be able to accept what happened and heal."

"Have her speak with Dr. Bloom then." Jack offered with a surprising lack of empathy. Emilia pushed her irritation with Jack aside, knowing that Abigail already had a mistrust towards Dr. Alana Bloom.

"I can make arrangements to go see Abigail again later this week" the older woman said with a sense of pride. Her bubble burst slightly when Will Graham shook his head.

"We suggested Alana already to Abigail. She doesn't feel..." the man paused, obviously trying to choose his words delicately. "She doesn't feel like you would be impartial."

The female doctor pursed her lips. "I guess we'll have to find someone else. It can't be you or Hannibal either, Will."

"Actually," Dr. Lecter cut in. "Abigail Hobbs voiced who she'd like to talk to. She feels she made a genuine connection with Agent Monroe, and feels like she can trust her. When Will suggested Abigail speak to someone about her situation she asked if that person could be Emilia."

The young woman fought a smile over the way her name rolled off the Doctor's accented voice. She focused on the heat of all eyes suddenly on her and rolled her bottom lip against her teeth. "Like I said before, we're closer in age. Abigail might feel like I'm the only person she can relate too and confide in in all this."

"Great, so we're letting a potential suspect call the shots." The four people across the desk were shocked at the almost growling tone the older agent spoke in.

"Jack," Will started slowly. "I don't think-"

"No! You don't think!" The man snapped. "You just say and do whatever you want, without thinking at all Will."

"Jack what are you talking about?" Alana asked in a high pitched voice.

The man behind the desk let out a heavy breath to try and calm himself down.

"It seems Abigail Hobbs is getting a lot of visitors today. One being a certain journalist who will use anything as fuel for her tire fire of a website. But she didn't have to try hard with you did she, Will? You practically gave her the match!"

The head of the BSU let out a share exhale before turning his computer around to face the others. was pulled up, it's latest article titled 'Another Shrike in the Nest?' with a large photograph of Will Graham. The man turned the screen back around after a few moments.

"It isn't very smart to piss off the guy who thinks about killing for a living." Jack read aloud. "You know what else isn't very smart? You were there with him, and you let those words come out of his mouth."

Dark brown eyes glared at Doctor Hannibal Lecter, who offered a small smile as he spoke. "I trust Will to speak for himself."

"Evidently you shouldn't" Jack replied sharply.

Dr. Bloom tried to change the subject. "I'm just happy the story wasn't about Abigail Hobbs."

It failed, only serving to irritate Jack Crawford even more. "Well, then it's a victory" he said with a small sneer.

Feeling obviously uncomfortable, Will sighed. Emilia tried to step in and calm down her boss. "No one believes the garbage Lounds writes. It was a simple mistake. That woman can twist anything into what she wants regardless of what the person actually said."

"Except I did say that" Will said quietly.

The young woman reached out a hand and rested it on the bearded man's arm. Both doctors raised an eyebrow at the gesture, one out of curiously and one out of jealousy. "It'll blow over. Freddie Lounds will find something else even juicier to lie about in a less than a day." He offered her a halfhearted twitch of his lips and patted the back of her hand. The young agent removed her hand and turned to Jack. "It _will_ blow over." She reaffirmed. "Besides, we can't let the lie-ridden stories of Freddie Lounds and Tattlecrime take us away from focusing on Abigail Hobbs."

The man nodded, taking another deep breath to clear his head of the irritation and anger. "So, Abigail Hobbs wants to go home. Lets take her home."

Naturally, Alana Bloom was opposed to this idea, which she voiced immediately. "What Abigail wants and what she needs are different things. Taking her out of a controlled environment would be reckless."

"You said she was practical" Jack countered.

Will tried to step in to help his colleague. "That could just mean she has a dissociative disorder."

Dr. Bloom spoke again, but Emilia turned to look over at the other Doctor. He had been quiet, and by the look on his face he was deep in thought. The girl watched as he ran his thumb over his full lips, maroon eyes staring ahead at nothing yet clearly processing unseen ideas and theories. She found herself getting lost in the details of his face, not noticing when the maroon eyes turned to her own. After a few seconds she felt his stare. Blinking her eyes, she felt the heat of embarrassment creep up her neck. A small smile started to turn up his lips but Emilia turned to attention quickly to Jack to avoid the Doctor seeing her get anymore flustered.

It turned out to be just in time as the conversation turned to Lithuanian doctor. "Where do you weight in on this, Doctor?"

Dr. Lecter replied swiftly, like he had been present in the conversation the whole time. "Dr Bloom is right, but there is a scenario where revisiting the trauma event could help Abigail heal and actually prevent denial."

Initially thinking her colleague would side with her, Dr. Bloom shook her head in annoyance. Jack Crawford shrugged, his mood lighten by the events turning in his favour. "Then we have a difference of opinion. Therefore, I am going to choose the opinion that better serves my agenda."

Emilia frowned. She worried going back home might make Abigail slip. The girl was lost and scared, Jack would have no problem forcing her into a situation that would make her admit to things in a way they'd didn't necessarily happen. An idea came to her.

"Actually this could be beneficial in more ways then one" Emilia offered. All attention turned to her. "Beverly Katz and I were discussing what Hobbs could have done with the parts of his victims he couldn't eat. Nothing in the Evil Minds Facility contains any human DNA, so I was going to ask if you could send myself and a team to go over the Hobbs residence again to re-evaluate it. Abigail has already said she feels like she can trust me. Why doesn't she come down with me? In between helping the forensics team I can help Abigail with being back in the place her life fell apart. You think she's hiding something Jack, maybe I can get her to tell me something to me there?"

The man behind the desk nodded. "You think you can get her to talk?"

Chocolate curls bounced on her shoulders as Emilia nodded her head. "I do."

The young woman bit her lip as the attention turned back to Jack. Almost all the attention. A weight was growing in the pit of her stomach, she didn't like lying to Jack. Well... she wasn't entirely lying. She did need to go back to the Hobbs residence for that reason, and she did believe Abigail might confide in her once she was in such a raw emotional environment. She just didn't necessarily plan on telling Jack whatever Abigail did tell her. But this was the last time she would be dishonest with him. Once she was able to help Abigail tell her version of the story and get on with her life, she would be completely honest with Jack. She couldn't help that she felt bad for the younger girl. She just wanted to help her out of the dark hole she found herself in. A dark hole she was forced in. Just like she wanted to do with Ashley.

"Perfect" Jack stated, his decision made. "I'm sending all four of you. You'll leave tomorrow morning."

Will ran a hand over his tired face. "This may be a bad idea. There's still a killer on the loose."

"This _is_ a bad idea, Jack." Alana Bloom urged.

"We also need to know if you're right about the copy cat, Will" Jack said with a grave tone.

Alana scoffed. "So you're purposely putting her in danger?"

Jack frowned and was about to argue when Emilia spoke up to mediate. "We just need to take extra precautions. Between the copy cat, angry neighbors, and the media, it's going to be a lot. But it will be good for her. She needs to feel that we care about her and what she wants or she'll never help you if she thinks she's constantly under attack. She still is another victim here."

Jack narrowed his eyes, "that has yet to be proven."

Alana sighed and rested her head in her hand, giving up on trying to change the older agents mind. "We have no idea of knowing what's waiting for her when she goes home."

"We'll soon find out." Jack nodded before turning back to his screen, dismissing the group.


	7. Chapter 7

Long clammy fingers wrapped around a hot mug of tea. Emilia swallowed as she tried to focus on anything other than her pounding headache. She stared straight ahead and waited for Jack to come into the office. He was going to ask about what happened at the Hobbs house, she knew he was. Unfortunately her memories of that day, though less than 48 hours ago, were foggy. She leaned back in her chair and took a sip of the warm tea. Letting her hazel eyes drift close she mentally grasped at what memories she could of that day.

 _The large SUV barreled down the dirt roads leading to the Hobbs residence. Emilia sat in the back, wedged between the door and Abigail Hobbs. Doctor Alana Bloom sat on the other side of the young girl. None of the women spoke, neither did the Doctor driving the vehicle or the agent in the front seat, making the ride seem longer and quite uncomfortable. As they got closer to the house, Emilia could feel Abigail start to tremble. She reached over and put a gentle hand on the girl's knee. Wide blue eyes looked pleadingly back._

 _"Don't worry, Abigail. We're all here for you..."_

Emilia groaned as her headache pounded harder against her skull. There had to be more she remembered. Abigail had been hesitant to enter the house, with the blood of her mother still staining the front porch. The group had sat in the living room going through odds and ends in an uncomfortable silence until one of Abigail's friends came in. Once the young girls had left to chat outside the group dispersed around the house.

 _The brunette agent stood in the kitchen of the house, looking at the barren counters and cupboards. Her eyes stopped on the fridge. She'd never really noticed before if any pictures at the crime scenes had been flipped around. She'd looked at photos in houses turned crime scene, even taken some as evidence, but she never paid attention to if they'd been turned around. The thought left her with a weird feeling. It was like trying to erase the life from the house, along the horrors that had happened, so that people could just focus on their job there. It made sense, but it also fell almost rude. Emilia pulled one of the pictures off the glossy surface and turned it to face her. It was Abigail and her father, on a fishing trip it seemed. They looked happy. They looked normal. Abigail appeared relatively identical so it couldn't have been too long ago. The woman pinned it back to the fridge and reached into her pocket. Withdrawing her badge she squeezed her fingers behind the plastic ID and slide out a small folded piece of paper. It was a photograph. Emilia's own hazel eyes shone back brightly, her hair cut just below her chin and a dark red. Beside her in the photo was Ashley. The blonde girl had her arms wrapped around Emilia's shoulders and her mouth was open mid laugh. Her bright eyes seemed to sparkle even through the faded photo._

 _Emilia held the photo up to the one on the Hobbs' fridge. The girls looked different, dirty blonde ringlets verse dark brown waves, but they had the same eyes. Bright and shining with a carefully curated happiness. An illusion, only given away by the faint dark circles under their eyes from sleepless night and the slight tightness in their smiles. These were the eyes of people who knew a terrible secret, but we're bound by love to live a life of false happiness._

 _Life never ends well for people like that._

Emilia opened her eyes and stared into her dark mug. Not a day went by that she didn't miss her sister, but ever since her path crossed with Abigail Hobbs her heart she felt like she got a piece of Ashley back. Abigail was someone who trusted her, who she could protect and help. She had seen so much bad through her job, so much innocence lost, was it the worst thing if she wanted to protect one person from experiencing more of that? The young girl didn't ask for any of this. It was her own father after all. If going to the Hobbs' house had done anything, it had made her realize how much Abigail needed her help. The young girl knew exactly what her father was doing, and she wasn't going to be able to keep up that act forever. She was going to slip, like Ashley did.

Of course she couldn't tell Jack any of this. So she had to find something she could tell him. Their relationship was a bit strained as of late. After sneaking behind his back to visit Abigail, he had been short and aggressive with her. She knew he had been fighting a lot with his Bella recently and a small act of insubordination definitely didn't help. He wasn't feeling in control of his life, which Emilia knew he hated, and the woman felt bad to have to keep him out of the loop. But Jack knew the same thing Emilia did deep down about the Hobbs girl, and he saw her how a lot of people would if it got out. An accomplice.

Jack and Emilia weren't the only people who knew Abigail's secrecy though...

 _As the brunette walked back into the living room, she ran her hand along the large stone fireplace in the centre of the Hobbs house. She traced her fingers along the mantle and over the stones behind it. She thought back to Abigail's words, 'whatever is left of those girls is is probably holding piped together'. That would certainly be an ideal way to hide any evidence. Not many people, other than those familiar with hunting and uses for animal remains would look for evidence of a murder in the construction of a house. Then again, not many people would be as calm as the young girl was when coming to the realization that they were living in a house held together by murdered remains. Emilia tried not to focus on that though. Abigail was still in stock, that's what she had to tell everyone._

 _"Strange isn't it" said an accented voice behind her. "To think that behind these walls are girls just like Abigail."_

 _"It's sad" the brunette replied. "Sad we couldn't get there in time. At least we saved one right?" She kept her eyes focus on the stones in front of her._

 _Dr. Lecter continued. "Most people would flee at the thought of standing in a room held together by corpses, yet Ms. Hobbs didn't do much as bat an eye. Strange isn't it?"_

 _Emilia frowned, but refused to show the man her concern. "I doubt Abigail is really aware of what she said. She's still trying to comprehend everything. I find it all the time in my line of work. People say things without really knowing that they said or mean after a tragedy." The agent didn't really believe that. Abigail knew exactly what was behind the walls, she probably even helped with it. But only because she was a young girl influence by love and fear into acting against what she knew was right. She wasn't sure if the Doctor would see it that way however. "She needs time to reflect and process what happened. Unfortunately that has to be done on her own. Poor girl has no one left. I feel bad for her."_

 _As she turned she was surprised to find the Doctor right behind her. "You have quite an interest in Abigail Hobbs" he said, maroon eyes looking above her at the stone wall._

 _"She's a young girl lost in the world, her life has been turned inside out. I just want to help her get through this."_

 _F_ _inally his maroon eyes met her hazel ones. His warm breath fanned over her cheeks as he spoke, making the woman's stomach flip. "How_ _altruistic of you, Ms. Monroe. Although, I tend to find in_ my _line of work that no one is truly selfless when looking out for someone else."_

Doctor Hannibal Lecter. He always seemed to know something no one else did. Always waiting before speaking, and choosing every word carefully.

The agent was pulled out of her thoughts by the chair across from her being pulled back and a body taking the seat. "Agent Monroe" Jack sternly as he leaned his elbows on the desk. Letting out a sign he ran a hand over his tired face and spoke earnestly. "Jesus Christ, Emilia. What the hell happened? Was bring Abigail home really that big of a misstep?"

Emilia shrugged and put her half empty mug on the desk. "No one could have seen any of that happening. I still don't really know what even happened."

"You gotta' give me something, Em. I've got reporters going wild, parents livid, and nothing to show but another dead body and a possible killer on the loose. Please... think of _anything_ I can used to shed some light on this circus." Worn brown eyes stared at her, and Emilia knew Jack needed her help.

She ran a her fingers over her lips. "I know as much as you do up until the corpse in the cabin. After you sent Dr. Lecter, Dr. Bloom, and myself with Abigail back to the house the reporters were all over the place. They both stayed outside to fend them off, especially Lounds."

A large fist pounded the table, "Damn it! Lounds was there?"

"Like a fly to garbage."

Jack sighed again. "Fine. What else?"

 _The two girls sat together on the couch, the older with her arms wrapped around the younger. "It's okay Abigail" Emilia cooed softly. "Everything's going to be okay."_

 _"It's all my fault" Abigail said in an almost shriek. "Whoever killed Marissa did it because of me."_

 _She hugged the girl tighter. "It isn't your fault. There's nothing you could have done. We don't even really know who did it or why."_

 _Before either of the girls could speak again, a male voice sounded from around the corner. Startled, hazel eyes darted to the source of the sound and were surprised to see Nicholas Boyle._

 _"I'm not going to hurt you..." he said in a shaky voice. A voice that surprised Emilia. Either he was a really good actor, or he was genuinely nervous. He then went on to try and say he didn't kill Marissa, and something in Emilia's gut believed him. Either way, she could see his presence was shaking Abigail and the man seemed unstable even if he was scared. Boyle took a step closer, attempting to round the couch, and Abigail let out a small yelp. Slowly, the agent rose to her feet. She had to get Abigail out of here, there was still a chance this man was a murderer._

 _"Abigail go get the others" Emilia said in a strong voice, stepping between the girl and Nicolas Boyle. The man opened his mouth to stop her and Emilia spoke over him. "Abigail I said go now!"_

 _Boyle lunged for the Hobbs girl as she turned to leave the room. The agent stepped in-front of him and shoved him back. The man grabbed her arms and twisted to get around her. Emilia lost her balance as her leg hit the table but grabbed Boyle's jacket as she fell back. As both bodies hit the ground the brunette launched herself over and on top of the male intruder. She tried to pin his arms down with her knees but she looked up to see Abigail Hobbs standing still standing by the door._

 _"ABIGAIL GET THE OTHERS" Emilia shouted at her, breaking her concentration for just a second. Which was just enough time for Boyle to free an arm and land a punch on the agents jaw. The woman fell to the side, hitting her head against the same table that had tripped her. As her vision blurred she swung her left leg out, catching Nicolas Boyle's foot and causing him to fall to the floor again. Emilia turned to see if Abigail had left, and her heart sank as her gaze was met with frightened wide blue eyes. Before she could call out to her, a clammy hand grabbed a fistful of dark hair and slammed her head into the neighboring wall._

"... then everything went black."

Jack said nothing for a moment once Emilia finished her recollection of the night. After a few minutes he leaned back in his chair ad let out a long breath. "Okay... so Boyle did try to attack Abigail. At least we have an eye witness account of that. Now the only question is, with you passed out what stopped him? I doubt Abigail Hobbs made him run away on her own? That's the missing information we need to get out of the Hobbs girl. Think you can do that or me?"

The brunette nodded, "I can try."

"I need better than try, Monroe. I need you on your A game for this. Visit Porthaven tomorrow. Dismissed, go home and get some rest."

Emilia rose from her seat and exited the office. She wouldn't go home, not yet. She had one stop to make first. The young agent hadn't told Jack Crawford everything. She hadn't told him that she hadn't blacked out right away and that she saw Abigail Hobbs step forwards and plunge a knife into Nicolas Boyle's stomach before dragging it across, effectively gutting him. Nor did she tell him that she had come to moment later, long enough to see a certain doctor kneeling in front on a dead man and talking to a very scared girl.


	8. Chapter 8

Emilia walked up the steps to large brick building that looked like it was once a townhouse though it now served as an office building. She pushed open the front door and found herself between a long hallway and a set of stairs leading to the second floor. Removing her scarf and peacoat, she hung them both over her arm as she started up the stairs. It was incredibly quiet, no sound coming from anywhere other than her boot heels on the wooden steps. At the top of the stairs were two chairs tucked against the wall to be right, and a large oak door behind them. Overtop of the chairs was a plack that read 'Dr. Hannibal Lecter - Psychiatrist'. Emilia stood in front of the door and rapped her knuckles gently against the wood. After a moment she heard movement on the other side.

The office door opened and the familiar scent of rosemary with cedar filled her nose. A tall man with high cheekbone and deep maroon eyes smiled back at her.

"Ms. Monroe, right on time."

The young woman smiled back, "I was actually here a couple minutes early but I didn't want to disturb you if you had a patient. I imagine your time is very valuable, Dr. Lecter. I am very grateful you made the time to see me."

Dr. Lecter let out a small chuckle as he took her coat and scarf from her and placed them on the rack behind the door. "Well I wanted to make the time. I have come to enjoy the small times we have spent together thus far."

Emilia tried to hide the heat that rushed to her cheeks by turning to survey the office. What was with her? She had to remember why she was here, and she couldn't get distracted by Dr. Lecter. She tried to clear her thoughts and focus, but they simply turned from the butterflies in her stomach to the impressive office before we her. The room was large with a two story ceiling. A balcony lined the walls, housing shelf upon shelf of books. There was a large redwood desk by off to the side with a large fireplace behind it. In the centre of the room where two leather chairs facing each other, no doubt where Dr. Lecter held his sessions. The woman let out a low 'wow' under her breath, which earned a chuckle from the man behind her.

"Your office is beautiful" she said a bit louder.

"Thank you" Dr. Lecter replied. "I enjoy many of the arts and they help clear my mind. I like to have them easily accessible, be it books or music. May I offer you a glass of wine?"

Emilia nodded. The doctor walked over the a small wine fridge hidden against the wall and asked her whether she preferred red or white. She told him white in a somewhat absentminded voice, her eyes never stopping their journey to soak up the room before her. Dr. Lecter returned to her with the two glasses, and they gently clicked them together after she took hers. There was only a moments pause before he spoke.

"While I'd like to think you asked to see me for general conversation, I feel there is a reason behind your visit Ms Monroe."

Emilia smiled, trying to push down the anxiety bubbling in her stomach. "Perhaps one day, Dr. Lecter. But you're right, I wanted to discuss something specific with you."

Dr. Lecter sat in one of the leather chairs and leaned back. "Well I look forward to that day. Now, let's discuss what brought you here today?"

The brunette slowly lowered herself into the opposing chair and turned her eyes onto the doctor.

"I want you to tell me what happened with Nicholas Boyle's body."

Dr Lecter remained silent, only offering a small eyebrow raise as acknowledgement to her request. Emilia pressed on. "Before I passed out I saw Abigail stab him. I saw his body drop to the floor. I know the look of a dead body when I see one, on the verge of black out or not. Boyle was dead. He didn't escape through the back door, he didn't leave the Hobbs house alive."

A pause stretched out over the air and Emilia never let her gaze falter from the strong maroon one.

"I'm curious as to why you think I possess the answer to you question, Ms. Monroe." Dr. Lecter's voice was calm as he spoke, never giving away that his mind was playing out how he could dispose of the young woman if her questions persisted.

Emilia continued. "Will Graham was with Jack in the Cabin, which leaves you and Dr. Bloom. Now I don't know Dr. Bloom well, but I think I know her character enough to know she wouldn't help hide a body. Abigail also doesn't trust her, so I doubt she'd seek any help from her. That leaves you, Dr Lecter."

At that moment, the very air in the room felt thicker. The smile had dropped slightly on the man's face, but the thoughtful look in his eyes completely disappeared.. Emilia felt like she was looking into the eyes of a predator, right before he attacked his prey. His voice remained ever steady as he spoke, but all lightness was gone from it.

"Are you asking for Jack Crawford, or for yourself?"

Emilia took a deep breath. She would not back down. Abigail Hobbs had gone through enough already. "Jack doesn't know I'm here. He can't help me with these concerns anyway. He's made up his mind about Abigail and I can't change that. I don't believe he has her best interests at heart."

"And what are your concerns?" Dr Lecter asked in a voice that send a cold shiver down the woman's back.

The agent chewed on her bottom lip. "I'm not going to let someone else take advantage of Abigail Hobbs or her situation. The girl is just starting to try and piece back a new life, I won't let her be pulled down another rabbit hole. So, if you please, what did you do with the body? And why?"

Dr. Lecter placed his glass on the small table beside his chair and leaned forward. "Abigail asked for my help. She said it was in self defense, but you saw what she did. No one would believe her. I offered her an option to keep her out of her father's shadow. As for the body, you needn't worry about the FBI find it any time soon."

Hazel eyes narrowed. "Why are you helping her? You're a renowned psychiatrist, consulting for the FBI... why help a potential suspect get away with a potential murder? You could lose your practice over this, you could go to jail."

"I could ask you the same question. This isn't the first time you went behind Jack Crawford's back regarding Abigail Hobbs. Given how much he trusts you this obviously isn't a habit. So why are _you_ helping Abigail, Ms Monroe? Why risk your position in the FBI?" Dr. Lecter seemed more calm than he did a moment ago, as the conversation had taken a welcoming turn unbeknownst to the young woman. He was intrigued with the determination in the young woman's voice, and how she held her ground despite the risk.

"Abigail Hobbs is a smart girl with so much potential. Her life hit a speed bump, but that doesn't mean she's off the course. I just want to help her move on and eventually live a somewhat normal life."

The answer wasn't good enough for the doctor. He pressed further. "I don't believe that's it. I highly doubt you show this much personal interest in every victim of every case that comes through you doors. So, why Abigail Hobbs?

Hazel eyes narrowed. It was none of Dr. Lecter's business to know about Ashley or to know about Emilia's dark secret about how she failed her sister, but if giving him a little bit would help her protect Abigail then she would do just that.

"Because I knew someone just like her, and I wasn't able to help them. So I'm going to do what I can to help Abigail Hobbs get over through this because I couldn't help someone last time. That's why I'm helping her, Dr. Lecter."

The man smiled a bit wider. "Understood. Now, I promise you I have no ill will towards Abigail Hobbs. I merely want to help her, as you do. So, why don't we help Abigail together? She desires a family unit to make up for the one she just lost."

Emilia nodded. "Yes, I suppose that's true."

Dr. Lecter held out his glass, "to protecting Abigail."

The brunette brought her glass to the Doctor's before swallowed the rest of her wine. She couldn't help but feel there was more Dr. Lecter wasn't telling her, but nevertheless she was starting to realize she couldn't help Abigail alone. There were too many pieces, too many parties she couldn't always keep on top of. While she knew she couldn't trust Jack to put the girl's best interest forward, Will Graham and Alan Bloom were wild cards. Maybe it wouldn't hurt to have someone else in her corner...

* * *

The Doctor stared across the room at the young girl looking back at him with her glossy blue eyes.

"I'll keep you secret" Hannibal said lowly.

Abigail replied in a shaky voice. "And I'll keep yours."

Turning back to his desk, Hannibal spoke without looking back at the girl.

"You and Nicolas Boyle have been quite the topic of conversation, Abigail. I had a visit earlier that revolved around this very topic."

When he turned, he could see the fear in the widened blue eyes of Abigail Hobbs. The man smiled. "Ms. Emilia Monroe was in here not an hour before you, very eager to discuss what happened at your home in Minnesota."

The fear slowly started to be replaced by a hopefulness. How interesting that the two young woman seemed to bond so quickly. Emilia must have said or shown Abigail something to get her to open up. Alana had years of training and even she was not yet successful with the Hobbs girl.

"She knows Boyle is dead, by your hand."

"You told her?!" Abigail whispered frantically.

Hannibal slowly shook his head, the thin smile never leaving his lips. "I did not. She admitted to seeing you stab the young man, followed by him collapsing to the floor. The interesting thing is, that that was not her concern." He paused to enjoy the helplessness in the girl's eyes. He had complete control over the situation. He could easily break the bond the two young woman shared or strengthen it, the decision was completely up to him. Hannibal wanted to test Emilia, but not regarding her relationship with Abigail. No, that would be far more beneficial in earning her trust. He wanted to see how far he could bring her to him, just like Will Graham. Jack would sadly lose two agents by the time the doctor was done, but Hannibal wasn't yet sure of whether he would end up with dinner or a dinner guest.

Pulling himself from his thoughts, Hannibal continue. "You'll be surprised. She came here to ask if I'd helped you dispose of the body, and if I had any malicious intentions towards gaining a favour from you. You've made quite the mark on the young agent, though I suspect she had on you aswell. "

The young girl looked to her shoes as she nodded slowly. "I can trust her. She wants to help me... if she knows about Nicolas Boyle, then both our secrets are still safe."

Hannibal couldn't help but feed into his curiosity, "why do you trust Ms. Monroe, Abigail? What has she done to earn your favour more than Jack Crawford or Alana Bloom."

Abigail frowned. "Agent Crawford thinks I helped my dad. I can see it in his eyes. He had his opinion of me every since the day my parents died."

"And Alana?"

"Dr. Bloom thinks I'm crazy, or mentally unbalanced, or something. She doesn't actually want to help me. She wants to analyze me, fix me. She wants to be the one who cured the Shrike's daughter," Abigail sneered.

The doctor nodded to the young girl, offering her acknowledgment of her opinion. Both young women were proving to be quite interesting, and Hannibal couldn't wait to see what he could unleash in them.


	9. Chapter 9

Emilia reached out and wrapped her fingers around the paper coffee cup, letting it warm her hands as she took it from the man behind the counter. The young agent stood in the FBI cafeteria and waited for the cashier to punch in her coffee and muffin. It was a long day... Jack still wasn't one hundred percent back to normal with Emilia and it was starting to become a problem. They were both getting short with each other, and limiting the time they saw one another. Before Abigail Hobbs, Jack would come to the EMRF about once a day and call Emilia to his office at least twice. Since Abigail Hobbs, the pair crossed paths maybe once a day and when they did it was awkward and uncomfortable. They rarely talked about their personal lives, mainly the Hobbs case and it's development. Jack would always give Emilia some bogus piece of information he needed from Abigail and was never happy with whatever answer the younger agent came back with.

The only silver lining was that Emilia could now pass the irritating receptionist at Port Haven to see Abigail with ease, as she was on the orders of Jack Crawford. Sometimes she questioned whether the loss of Jack's friendship was worth it though. He had been with her through the tough time of Ashley's death and everything that came after. She needed to just help Abigail, then she could mend things with Jack afterwards. On Emilia's first visit back to Porthaven, the poor Hobbs girl stared crying immediately and tried to explain what happened with Nicolas Boyle, but the older girl assured her she knew it was self-defense and that she would help her tell that version of the story. It had been the final step to getting past the wall's Abigail had put up, and the young girl now felt comfortable with her newest friend. But that conversation never made it to Jack Crawford. Emilia's boss got a trimmed down, bland version, that was hazy at best. But it was what he needed to hear to keep his mind away from putting Abigail on trail. The poor girl's life was tough enough. Emilia wouldn't let it get worse because of a tiny mistake. She wouldn't let her become Ashley.

However just like Ashley, Abigail hated Port Haven. Emilia tried to take her out for coffee or just a walk whenever possible to get the young girl out of those grim stone walls. She tried to get her to think about where she would want to live after all this was finished, if she'd want to go to college.

Emilia was lost in thought when the cashier stated her total. Hazel eyes stared off for a moment before blinking back to reality. "S-sorry" she stammered. "I, uh... what was the total, sorry?"

"I got it" a deep voice said from beside her. "Plus another coffee."

Emilia turned and met the tired blue eyes of Will Graham. The man stretched over and dropped the cash into the cashiers hand.

"You didn't have to" Emilia said as he pocketed the change. "But thank you."

Will Graham nodded with a sliver of a smile on his lips. He held his arm out in front of him, motioning for Emilia to lead the way. The woman was struck momentarily with the thought of how they had both probably been in this very room multiple times together and never spoken, yet within a week one was paying for the other's coffee. Emilia wasn't an incredibly outgoing person, but she knew a decent amount of people in the FBI and it's college. Will Graham must have worked hard at being elusive within these walls.

"I'll have to get you back in the future. If you happen to crave more coffee in..." the woman playful looked at her watch," let's say an hour and a half, I'll meet you back here."

Will let out a breathy chuckle. "Tough day?"

Brown curls bounced around as Emilia nodded her head with a small smile. "Tough couple days."

As they reached the doors the woman paused, frowning at the hall leading to the Evil Minds facility. She really didn't want to go back yet. She couldn't focus. Will gently nudged the woman's arm with his elbow. "Would you like to come back to my class room? I have some time before my next lecture? We could both use some company imagine."

The brunette smiled, "I look that bad, hm?" Will opened his mouth to no doubt defend his innocence comment, but Emilia cut him off. "I'm kidding, I'd love to."

The agents made chit chat as they walk to Lecture Hall A35. When they arrived, they sat side by side in the front row of desks. Silence fell of them momentarily before Emilia spoke. "Have you seen Abigail since... her house?"

The dark haired man sighed and shook his head. "No. I've been meaning to but... Doctor Lecter and I had a conversation that has made the idea a bit unsettling."

Emilia raised a thin eyebrow. Before she could ask anything Will Graham continued. "I've been seeing Doctor Lecter to... keep my mind in check, you could say. Jack's worried all these case could have a negative effect after a long period of time. We mostly talk about the cases but the good doctor clearly has an interest in my..."

"Unique brand of thinking?" The woman offered with a small smile of comfort. Will chucked softly. "That sounds more poetic than what I was going to say. Sure, he has an interest in my unique brand of thinking. Anyways we got talking about my dysfunctional family history, as one does in therapy, and Doctor Lecter mentioned by unconscious choice to try and make a family around Abigail. That I feel responsible for her situation and have tried to take on a parental role. The worst part is I don't think he's wrong."

"That makes sense" Emilia confirmed as she adjusted her position in her chair. "People tend to form attachments with things that can fill a void within them, regardless of whether than new thing has any relevance to the cause of the void."

Will nodded, rubbing his free hand over his bearded chin. He slid two fingers under the bridge of this glasses and pinched his nose with an exasperated sign.

"Exactly. So I've been avoiding going to visit Abigail Hobbs. I know it's not fair, after I tried to connect with the girl initially. The concept of a family unit is just so foreign to me. I've spent my life with this repulsion to the thought of family, and now Dr. Lecter has associated that with Abigail in my mind. When I thinking of going to see Abigail I feel anxious and uncomfortable. But that's the case with most interactions I have I'm afraid." There was a small pause before Will turned his blue eyes from the wall in front of him to Emilia. "What void does Abigail feel for you, Ms. Monroe?"

Hazel eyes blinked widely at the male agent. "Sorry?"

Will let out a small breath. "You obviously feel some sort of attachment to the Hobbs girl, like I do. So, as the kids say, spill." He used the elbow closest to her to nudge her arm gently, a small smile on his face. " It's good to talk about these things, at least that's what my psychiatrist tells me."

Emilia laughed softly. "Fair enough, Mr. Graham. Abigail... " Emilia let out a puff of air. It had been a while since she talked about Ashley with anyone, and she had never talked to anyone about how she saw a lot of her sister in the Hobbs girl. Will had a point though, talking could sometimes help. That's what she always told Ashley anyways. "Abigail reminds me of my sister. She passed away a couple years ago. We uhm... weren't really talking at the time. I never really accepted her loss. I see a lot of Ashley in Abigail. Ashley was trusting and kind like Abigail. They both have a stubborn sense of independence and unwillingness to accept help at times. They're also both smarter then they let on. Ashley also went through some tough times in her life, times when that stubbornness got in the way and she suffered because of it. Abigail needs a friend, like my sister did. I just want to be there for her."

Silence fell in the room. The brunette woman shifted uncomfortably in her chair. "Wow, that got a bit more intense that I meant it to. Sorry. I..."Emilia paused and let her eyes drift to the other agents face. She was surprised to see his blue eyes filled with understanding, verse the uncomfortable pity she was used to seeing. It was part of the reason she didn't like talking about Ashley. No one should pity her, she failed her sister after all. It was a relief to see something different in the man's eyes, so she continued. "I haven't talked about Ashley in a while. I think the only person who knows is Jack really."

The dark haired man nodded, before clearly his throat in discomfort. He changed the subject. "How have you and Jack been? You were close before from what I hear, but this Hobbs case seems to have put a strain on that."

Emilia nodded. Before Will could ask anything further, the doors to the lecture hall opened and a handful of students trickled in.

"That's enough inner secrets for one day, Mr. Graham" Emilia said, standing from the desk.

The man shook his head, "please call me Will."

"Right, sorry. Well thank you again for the coffee, _Will_. Next time lets have something a little stronger, that's when all the juicy secrets come out."

Will nodded and return the woman's smile. "I'll keep that in mind. And thanks for listening, it feels nice to talk to someone who won't analyze every detail. It's refreshing."

"Any time. And you're right, talking does make it feel a bit better."

As she was about to leave the hall, Will called her name. "If you're ever looking to take up therapy, I know a great psychiatrist."

The brunettes agent laughed as she waved goodbye and exited the lecture hall. As she snaked through the waves of students heading to their classes, her phone vibrated in her pocket. She pulled it out and stared at the screen. _Unknown Number?_ I _nteresting,_ she thought. Emilia slid her finger against the bouncing icon and lifted the device to her ear.

"Hello?"

" _Ms. Monroe, I hope I'm catching you at a good time_?" an accented voice answered.

"Oh, Dr. Lecter! Yes, actually you are." Emilia was surprised the Lithuanian doctor was calling her, unsure how he even got her number in the first place.

" _Wonderful._ " Emilia could almost see his thin lips curving into his usual small smile as he spoke. " _I was able to get Abigail Hobbs out of Porthaven for a day. We are having dinner at my home this evening. We would both appreciate your_ _presence_."

The woman was taken aback. This man she barely knew was inviting her over for dinner with a prime suspect of a case she was involved in. A case they were both involved in. On the other hand... a very handsome man was inviting her over to have dinner with a girl she was treating like a sister. Yes, she liked the sound of the latter much better.

"I would love to" she replied.

" _Splendid. Dinner will be at seven, but you're more than welcome to come before that. I always enjoy having company in my kitchen_." The Doctor gave the woman his address and ended the call. Emilia stood in the now empty hallway, blinked at nothing as she tried to grasp what had just unraveled. Phone still in hand, she dialed another number.

" _Hey hey_ " the voice on the other end chimed.

"Hey Ro, it's me. I'm not going to be home for dinner tonight. Dr. Lecter invited me..."

The young woman held the phone away from her ear as her friend let out a bird like screech.

" _AAAAHHH! Are you kidding me, girl? Oh my god, I'm so excited for you. Are you coming home to get changed first? Remember to bring a toothbrush for tomorro-_ "

"I'm going to stop you right there." Emilia said as she rolled her eyes. "If you let me finish... he invited me over for dinner with him and Abigail Hobbs."

There was a pause on the other end of the call, " _Oh. That's lame._ "

"Also, may I ask why you automatically assumed I'm spending the night? Who do you take me for, You?" She said with a laugh.

" _Emmy, a hot middle-aged doctor asked you, a half-his-age hottie, over for dinner out of the blue. Tell me that's not code for_ -"

"I'm hanging up now. Leave me leftovers of whatever you order, pleeeease. Bye!"

The brunette shook her head at her friends antics and slide her phone into her back pocket. She would try to get a little work done before going over to the good Doctor's house.


	10. Chapter 10

Boot heels clicked on the stone walkway as Emilia walked up the steps to the front door of a lavish house. A house that belonged to a Doctor Hannibal Lecter. Emilia once again found herself waiting on one side of a door for the Lithuanian doctor. It wasn't long after she rang the doorbell that the large door opened, and the smell of cedar and rosemary drifted to her.

"Ah, Ms. Monroe" Dr. Lecter said with a smile. "Please come in."

The man stepped a side and gestured for the woman to step through the threshold of his home. If Emilia thought Dr. Lecter's office was beautiful, his house was even more so. The man asked for her coat and she nodded, barely listening as her eyes took in the room before her. The marble floors and dark hardwood were stunning, not to mention that every surface looks so immaculately clean. Emilia began to unbutton the from of her camel trench coat and just as she was about to push it off her shoulders, she felt strong fingers grip the fabric and slide it down her arms. The woman tried to hide the shiver that ran through her as Dr. Lecter's skin brushed her bare arms on the way down. She walked into the centre of the room and slowly twisted around. "You're home is..." she trailed off, lips parted to speak, but her mind was lost in the elegant details of the foyer. The doctor let out an amused chuckle as he came to stand beside her, gently brushing his knuckle against her chin to close her slightly open mouth. "I think that is my favourite reaction yet".

Heat rushed to the young woman cheeks at the slightly intimate gesture. "Sorry... I, ah, still live in the same apartment when I first moved to Virginia." Emilia tried to lightly the heavy embarrassment she was feeling, and failed. She tried again. "Uhm, is Abigail here?" She asked. The man seemed to be enjoying her flustered behavior but nevertheless motioned in the direction of what looked like the dining room. They walked through the room to a bright kitchen. A brunette blur moved from around the kitchen and soon Abigail Hobbs was standing in front of Emilia, arms wrapping around her neck in a hug.

"Hi Abigail" Emilia said softly with a smile. As she stood with Abigail beaming up at her, Dr. Lecter by her side, she was struck with the mental image of they family they formed in that moment. She shook it from her mind quickly. Will Graham wasn't the only one making a family out of the situation apparently.

"Come, both of you. We will prepare dinner together."

As Dr. Lecter walked further into the kitchen he picked up a small remote and pressed a button before setting it down again. He circled the counter to stand on the side opposite the two women while the soft note of a familiar classic song filled the air.

"Is this Romeo and Juliet?" Emilia asked, approaching the counter as well.

Dr. Lecter smiled at her. "It is. Prokofiev score for the original ballet performed in Russia. I'm impressed, Emilia."

"I loved Shakespeare when I was younger. I've scene almost every play. A few I saw performed as ballets as well."

"Do you see many now?" He asked.

The older girl shook her head. "Unfortunately no. My roommate isn't one for the arts. Plus I find it hard to find time." Hazel eyes drifted to the younger girl beside her. "Do you have any interest in theater, Abigail? I know it's a bit of a dying art now."

Abigail shook her head. "I prefer concerts over that kind of stuff. Well.. I _preferred_ concerts. I feel like who I was before is long gone now. I'm now just some killer's daughter."

The girl sighed and looked out the large back doors in the kitchen.

"It is important to know when it's time to turn the page" Dr. Lecter reminded her, resuming his peeling of the potatoes in front of him. "Have you thought about applying for schools?"

Abigail too a small intake of break as her eyes fluttered down to her shoes. "My dad killed girls at all the schools I applied to." There was a hint of annoyance to her voice, like her father's crimes were inconvenient to her more then they were heinous.

The doctor considered her words for a moment, "perhaps that can wait then."

Emilia reached out and put her hand gently on the hand Abigail had resting on the counter. "There are other options" she said with a small smile. "You have a chance to really start anew. Maybe go somewhere for something you never considered in the past. You have plenty of time to think thought, no one is going to rush you into anything."

"We'll make sure of it" Dr. Lecter with a smile and a somewhat playful glint in his eyes. Abigail smiled at the pair, obviously warmed by their words of care for her. However Emilia couldn't help the strange suspicious she felt and the way the doctor was looking at the two of them.

Abigail spoke again, we more eagerness in her voice then before. "I want to work for the FBI, like you Em." The older girl smiled at the nick name. From the other side of the counter Dr. Lecter remarked that he would feel safer with the young girl the in bureau, protecting his interests. "They wouldn't let me though, would they?" Abigail continued. "'Cause of what my dad did."

The man never looked up from the potatoes he had finished peeling as he spoke. "Only if they believe that is in your nature too."

"Nature verse Nurture" the younger girl commented.

"I can help you with that, Abigail" Emilia affirmed. "I can help you prep and get all your qualifications, if that's what you really want to do. I believe you could do great things with us."

The young girl opened her mouth to speak, her eyes downcast in defeat already.

"You're not your father's daughter. Not any more" Dr. Lecter cut in, finally meeting the young girls eyes again and fixing her with a intense stare. "What if it weren't so painful anymore? To think of him?"

Both girls looked at the doctor in slight confusion. "My dad?" Abigail clarified.

"Yes." Dr. Lecter confirmed. " Have you ever tried psilocybin?"

"I'm sorry, what?" Emilia interjected, starting to piece together the possible outcomes of the conversation. Hazel eyes darted to the tea pot that had been steeping _something_ since she arrived in the kitchen. He couldn't be serious could he?

"Mushrooms." Abigail stated. "That's what's in the tea?"

Dr. Lecter confirmed. Emilia couldn't believe what she was hearing. She knew he wasn't wrong in stating that some psychiatrist found such chemicals to be helpful in therapies, but she didn't think that kind of therapy was appropriate for a 18 year old girl. Let alone one that had gone through a large trauma recently. The woman had joined the doctor over at the counter that the tea wear had be sitting on. Emilia slipped around to the same side as Dr. Lecter and placed a hand on the one that was about to lift the teapot. "You want her to do drugs?" She asked in slight disbelief.

"I want her to do this drug, with our supervision." Dr. Lecter shifted his hand so he could pour the liquid into the neighboring cup. He placed the pot back on the table and picked up the cup.

"Do you trust me?" he asked Abigail, holding out the cup to her. Large blue eyes looked between the pair of adults before the girl slowly nodded and took the cup in her hands.

The doctor shifted his body to face the older girl and let his maroon eyes fix her with an intense stare. "Do you?" he asked, his voice a bit softer then when he asked Abigail. Emilia swallowed. As much as she wanted to protest, she really did trust Dr. Lecter. He seemed to really care about Abigail Hobbs, and truly wanted to help her. He wasn't wrong about the practice of psilocybin in therapy and this was a contained safe space. She nodded slowly before turning to face the younger girl. "It may help a bit Abigail."

That was all the affirmation the girl needed. Without anymore hesitation she raised the glass to her lips and took a large sip. Her eyes met Emilia's again, who offered her a small smile. Abigail smiled back and continued to sip the warm beverage in her hands.

"Will the effects take long to show?" Emilia asked. Dr. Lecter had returned to his original place at the counter and was continuing to cut potatoes. "No," he replied. "Being steeped in water allows the chemicals to react more quickly in the body. Only a few minutes will be needed."

When hazel eyes turned back to the girl, as if on cue, the young girls blue eyes had become hazy and a small frown pulled on her lips. As Abigail stared at the cup in her hand, her fingers slowly loosened their grip until the ceramic slipped from them and shattered on the floor. Emilia quickly rounded the counter, worried that the girl might hurt herself on the broken shards, but Abigail turned away from the scene and walked shakily to a nearby chair.

"Dr. Bloom said this was okay?" she asked in a slightly slurred voice. Emilia bent down and started to collect the piece from the floor, but let her gaze follow the doctor that was coming to join her. She hadn't really thought of Alana Bloom's involvement in all this. The woman was Abigail's psychiatrist after all, not Dr. Lecter. It was a fact she kept forgetting, since the male doctor seemed to actually care for the young Hobbs girl.

"Not at all" Dr. Lecter replied. "We often have a difference of opinion." He knelt down in front of Emilia and wiped the damp area with a cloth.

"More secrets for us" Abigail said somewhat happily from the side of the room.

Emilia looked up at the doctor with an eyebrow raised. What did Abigail mean by that?

Dr. Lecter smiled and the woman and winked, choosing to reply to Abigail rather than answer Emilia's silent question.

"Oh, you and I will have many secrets. All of us will I think." His maroon eyes never left Emilia's, neither did his small smile. Gently taking the broken pieces from Emilia, the pair stood. The woman walked over the the young girl on the chair, sitting on the arm and trying to ease the feeling of worry in her. Abigail rested her head on Emilia's leg and smiled up at her drowsily. Dr. Lecter commented on how the drug can aid in therapy as he disposed on the teacup pieces.

"Psychological trauma is an affliction of the powerless" he continued, coming to stand in front of the young woman."I want to give you your power back."

After a moment Abigail lifted her head from Emilia's leg and grabbed the older girl's hand. "I don't feel so good" she said in a shaky voice. Worry flashed through her hazel eyes as she looked to the doctor, squeezing the girl's hand in comfort. Dr. Lecter knelt in front of Abigail, telling her that the feeling will pass and instructing her to let it wash over her. He placed his hands gently on either side of her face, commanding her attention with his stare. After a few moments the feeling had indeed passed, and Abigail became distracted by the sizzling of the frying pan.

"You're making breakfast for dinner?" Abigail said with a small smile. The doctor smiled back and rose to his feet. He placed a warm hand on Emilia's shoulder, squeezing it gently before turning back to the kitchen. "High Life Eggs" he explained. "A chef in Spain called Muro claimed to have invented it in the 19th century."

Emilia looked back to Abigail, the girl's eyes were still glazed over and unfocused but she seemed happier than a moment. The older girl stood and offered the young girl a hand to help her up. Dr. Lecter tossed a potato the air and caught it with the blade of his knife. The young girl made a face to show she was impressed and chucked. Emilia couldn't help but smile as she tucked a loose piece of hair behind her ear. She needed to stop worrying. She trusted Dr. Lecter, and Abigail did seem fine now. Worrying too much could do more harm then good, and she didn't want Abigail to push her away like Ashley did. The mood in the kitchen quickly began to lighten, all thoughts of traumas and crimes gone as the picture of an almost family like dinner scene began to unfold. Perhaps this is what Abigail needed now. Some sense of normality and a family like unit.

"I used to have breakfast at dinner all the time when I was younger" she offered, continue to lighten the mood the the beautiful kitchen. "I went through a serious eggs Benedict phase in my youth."

Dr. Lecter smiled at the older girl as he handed her a knife to aid him in cutting. "I will have to prepare them for you one day then" he said. "Now, I did say we would be making this together."

"I look forward to that" Emilia replied, taking the knife and the pulling a potato towards her. "I have to warn you though, I'm a pretty tough breakfast food critic."

The man chuckled lightly and smiled. He then rounded the table and came to stand behind her. "I hope your a better food critic than chef. Here, you're holding your knife all wrong. May I?" The Doctor wrapped his hand around Emilia's and guided it to the the potato on the counter. Grabbing her other hand, he placed the vegetable between her index finger and thumb. He brought the blade down and slowly sliced through. "You needn't hack at it, like you're trying to saw off somebodies arm" he chuckled softly and continued to guide her hand. The woman let out a small laugh-like breath. "You sound like my roommate, she a far better chef than I am."

When Dr. Lecter spoke, he spoke in a soft voice close to her ear. "Well if you'd ever like to learn, I would be happy to teach you" he commented, warm breath fanning over her shoulder. Emilia swallowed, her throat suddenly quite dry. She tried hard to focus on anything other than how comfortable Dr. Lecter's warm arms felt around her. Luckily, Abigail caught the doctor's eyes. The young girl stood against the counter, smiling widely at the pair. She swayed slightly, causing the doctor to remove himself from the agent and firmly grasp Abigail's shoulders.

"You look a bit tired, Abigail. Let's put you on the couch for a bit before dinner is ready."

Emilia watched them exit the room and let out a breath. She continued to try and cut the vegetables in front of her but found her mind too preoccupied. Dr Lecter soon entered the kitchen again. "She felt asleep as soon as she sat down" he commented. " She needs a good rest, her nights at Porthaven have been plagued by nightmares as of late."

Hazel eyes stared into the dark room which held the sleeping Hobbs girl. Emilia spoke without thinking."I don't blame her. That place is something out of a nightmare itself. It does more harm than good for most of the poor girls in it's shitty walls." She had hoped the nightmares would be staring to subside by now. When she turned back to the kitchen she was met with a burning maroon stare. Thin lips curled in a smile before parting to speak. "I have a question for you, Emilia."

 _Shit._ The woman realized she'd spoke a little too honestly about the facility. To a psychiatrist on top of that. Dr. Lecter had already asked her about her strong desire to help Abigail, this would only fuel it. Letting out a slow breath, Emilia nodded.

Before continuing his inquire, the doctor pulled out a bottle of white wine and two glasses. Prokofiev's last pieces for the ballet played softly in the background, barely above a whisper to blood pumping in Emilia's ears. After pouring both, he extended one to Emilia.

"I find you very curious, Emilia. Jack has spoken so highly of you, and you've been his right hand many times. Now suddenly your relationship is strained. You're sneaking around behind his back, and Jack has a new right hand in Will Graham. Are you envious of Will taking you position?"

Emilia let out a sharp breath. She hadn't really thought of it that way. "Not at all" she replied. "More so a case of good timing. Jack's focus on Will keeps me out of the spotlight. As I'm sure you've psychoanalyzed already, this case hits a bit close to home. My actions may seem off because they are slightly out of the norm but I'm not doing anything wrong. As I said before, Abigail is innocent. She was taken advantage of by her father into doing things because she as scared for her life. Jack made up his mind before Abigail even had a chance to change it. Someone needs to be in her corner or she won't make it out of all this."

The woman tried to brush on the inquire, but she only added more fuel to the fire in the doctor's eyes. He didn't look shock in the slightly, merely stood on beside the woman with his lips turning in the smallest smile.

"I'm sorry if my question seemed out of turn, Emilia. I assure I had no intention of accusing you of anything. I do apologize for any 'psychoanalysis' you feel may have been done, it was not done intentionally. Sometime it is hard to turn off who we are."

"It's fine" she said. "I'm sorry I got so defensive."

Dr. Lecter gently tilted her chin upwards with his knuckles. "You needn't apologize."

Emilia offered a small smile. "I must say I do admire you passion. " the doctor added, his thumb brushing against her chin. His Maroon eyes bore into hers, something bubbling behind them that she couldn't yet understand. The doctor finally step away from he agent. "May I make one more 'psychoanalyses'?"

The woman nodded. Dr. Lecter had been nothing but nice to her and Abigail Hobbs, maybe he could help her explain all this to Jack when everything was said and done.

"In any previous conversations you rarely spoke of family, and never any siblings. Yet you don't display the common personality traits found in only children. Abigail Hobbs has just lost her family. I think it's fair to say you're trying to help her, and yourself, build a new one. Am I close?"

The brunette laughed before taking a sip of wine. "Will Graham did say you were good."


	11. Chapter 11

Dinner went smoothly, filled with a light air and casual conversation. After the girls helped with the clean up Dr. Lecter sent them off to the living room while he finished. The pair chatted for a bit, but soon Abigail began to get tired again. The younger girl curled up on the couch beside the Emilia and rested her head on the older girl's lap. The agent absentmindedly stoked the girl's hair, getting lost in thought as she stared into the fire the doctor had started. Soon a white ceramic mug entered her vision. Emilia reached out and took the warm mug from Dr. Lecter, thanking him softly. She stared down at the amber liquid, trying subtly to figure out what it was.

"A rooibos tea from South Africa" Dr. Lecter said, answering her silent question. "This particular blend has juniper berries, with just a hint of lemon. I also added a pinch on cinnamon. My own preference, but I hope you enjoy it as well."

Her lips curled into a small smile and she raised the brim of the mug to them, taking a sip. "It's delicious, thank you" she said as she took another sip of the tea. "No mushrooms in this, I hope."

The doctor returned the smile. "Not in this blend, I assure you."

Hazel eyes drifted down to the girl beside her before back to the maroon gaze of the man who sat in the chair opposite her now. "She did seem more relaxed and able to talk about what happened, after the tea." She brought the tea to her mouth again before she continued. "You were right, Dr. Lecter. I shall yield to your expertise more in the future."

"You were only trying to look out for Abigail's best interest" the doctor replied, setting his mug on the table to his left. "I admire your thoughtfulness for the girl."

Emilia nodded, a comfortable silence falling as they both watched the fire. After a few moments she spoke again, "thank you for having me tonight, Dr Lecter. And thank you for your continuous attention to Abigail. She tries to act tough, but she's just a scared girl with far too much darkness in her life."

The doctor rested his chin against his knuckles, his elbow propped up on the arm of the chair. The fire reflected in his eyes, making them appear an almost deep red, as he stared at the flames. He didn't look at her as he spoke. "You're very welcome, Emilia. As I've mentioned before, I enjoy your company." A faint blush dusted the woman's cheeks as she finished off her tea. She found herself once again staring down at the girl sleeping against her, the action of petting her head bringing back similar memories of her and her sister. Emilia felt a wave of emotion wash over her. Her contentment in this moment, the never yielding quilt of Ashley's loss, and the burning desire to make things right for both girls. She sighed and looked up at Dr. Lecter, only to find his gaze already fixed on her. She couldn't read what he was thinking, but the small upwards tilt of his lips gave an almost devious look about him. She let her eyes drift down to Abigail for a second, a small vote of confidence in the serine face of the sleeping girl, before parting her lips to speak.

"She reminds me of my sister, Ashley."

Dr. Lecter said nothing, though his curiosity was evident in the smallest tilt of his head. He brought his hands to his lap and waited for her to continue.

"Ashley was younger than me, but we were really close in our younger years. She was one of my best friends before I went to college. But I got busy with school and my new social life, and she fell into a bad crowd. Our relationship grew tense, almost none existent." She ran a hand over her face then through her hair, trying to keep her emotions in check. "I wasn't the only one though. Her relationship with our parents deteriorated too. She moved out of our parents' house as soon as she finished high-school, and moved into some crack house with her criminal boyfriend. That killed them. She was their baby, and he.. her boyfriend... he _corrupted_ her. Ashley was gone after that. We didn't see her for a year, and when we were finally able to track her down... she was bad. I-" Emilia stopped and squeezed her eyes shut. She took a deep breath. This is why she never talked about Ashley. She wasn't just sad about her sister, she was angry. Every time she thought about that scumbag, her blood boiled. The woman was pulled from her thoughts by the feeling of a presence in front of her. Hazel eyes opened to see that the doctor had come to kneel in front of her spot on the couch. He reached up and gently brushed her cheek, wiping away a single tear that had managed to escape her resolve. Emilia felt her face heat up in embarrassment.

"I'm sorry" she whispered. "I just get so wound-up when I think about it all. And her stupid boyfriend..." Emilia took a deep breath. "I shouldn't say this as an agent but if I ever got the chance, I'd kill that scumbag."

The woman slid out from under the sleeping girl and stood with the doctor. She walked past him to the fireplace, wrapping her arms around herself. "Long story short, we were able to check her into Port Haven after a while. That's how I got to see Abigail the first time. I know a few of the nurses there. For a year I visited Ashley almost every day there. It wasn't exactly close for my parents, but it was far from everyone who put her in her mess and I was able to keep an eye on her. She was a lot like Abigail before she... lost herself. Smart, determined, and stubborn. Before we stopped talking, I knew something was going on but she wouldn't tell me. She was convinced she could figure everything out on her own. She refused to see how far down the rabbit hole she had fallen. "

Emilia felt the doctor move behind her, placing his warm hands on her shoulders in a gesture of comfort. "I'm sorry this happened to you and you family," he said from behind her. He moved his lips closer to her ear when he spoke the second time. "If I can do anything in the future to help you, you need only ask."

Oddly the woman felt extreme comfort in the doctor, from his words to his warm fingers drawing faint circles on her arms. She tilted her head slightly to look at him over her shoulder. "Thank you, Dr. Lecter. I mean it."

"Call me Hannibal, please." His voice was a whisper in her ear.

Emilia ran her tongue over her lips, trying to moisten the now dry surface. "Right... thank you, _Hannibal_."

For a moment, their eyes remained locked in an intense stare. She felt the room swell with an emotion she couldn't begin to process, but just as it had come it quickly faded. Turning back to the fire, she joked "and if I ever need to hide a body, you'll be the first person I call."

Dr. Lecter chuckled softly, his breath dancing through brunette strands and tickling her skin. "You should head home, Alana will be here soon to collect Abigail and I do not wish you to get caught in the fray of her anger."

Emilia turned around, half confused and half hurt. "Oh.. I didn't realize-"

"I assure you" Dr. Lecter cut in, "I would enjoy nothing more than continuing to talk with you, but judging by the numerous missed calls I have from Dr. Bloom and the fact that I did not check with her before bring Abigail Hobbs here, I can only assume a very angry woman is on her way over at this moment."

Letting out a low hum, Emilia agreed. Alana Bloom already didn't seem fond of the young agent, and she wasn't interesting in the woman getting her in any more trouble with Jack. The pair walked to the front door, Dr. Lecter retrieving Emilia's coat from the closet on the way. "You must join me for dinner again" the doctor commented as they paused at the door. "Perhaps just the two of us next time."

Emilia nodded but said nothing, her blush giving away more then she'd like. As she finished buttoning up her jacket, the doctor opened the front door and exposed them to the chilly Baltimore night air. "Drive safely, Emilia."

Suddenly a strange urge overcame the young agent, and as she stepped to exit the house she turned to the doctor. In one fluid motion she placed a hand on the man's shoulder, leaned up, and brushed her lips ever so gently against his. "Thank you for the wonderful evening, Hannibal."

With that she took her leave, walking to her car on the street in a content daze. The light faded as the door closed behind her and she got into her vehicle. Emilia sat for a moment as she waited for the car to warm up when it suddenly dawn on her what had just happened...

 _Oh... my... god!_

* * *

Hannibal closed the door slowly behind the young woman. He would admit he was slightly shocked by her actions, but not opposed to it. Raising his hand to his face he ran his fingers over his lips. She tasted like the tea they had drank earlier, which mixed wonderfully with the scent of her perfume. _Well now... you_ are _very interesting, Emilia Monroe._ A smile pulled at his lips, a new avenue to take his little experiment forming in his head. He didn't have too much time to ruminate on the prospect, as a rough knocking soon rang out from the other side of the front door.

His lips pulled down into a frown. While he had originally been looking forward to ruffling Alana's feathers, he found he now had more important issues to think about and did not want to deal with the angry woman on the other side of the door. Taking a deep breath, he embedding the feeling and taste of Emilia's lips in his mind before opening the front door of his home.

"Ah, Alana... I was expecting you..."

* * *

Sorry this is short! I just really wanted to get this chapter out! Review and let me know what you guys think of this chapter or the story so far :) xox


	12. Chapter 12

The sun reflected brightly off the fresh snowfall on the ground. Despite the low temperatures, it was a relatively nice day with a clear blue sky. Grabbing her coffee, the young agent stepped out of her car and turned towards the large beige building behind her. As Emilia walked into the FBI facility the pocket of her jacket began to vibrate. She pulled out the device and looked at the name on the screen.

 _RoRo_

"Hey! Glad to see you aren't in a ditch somewhere. I was worried when I got home and you weren't there."

Her roommate laughed on the other end of the call. "Sorry! Eddie asked me out on a last minute date and I didn't want to interrupt your dinner with a text. How was it by the way?!"

Emilia waved at the young security guard behind the desk and swiped her ID card against the scanner mounted on the wall. She could feel her cheeks getting warm at the memory of her ridiculous goodbye to the doctor. God, what had she been thinking...

"It was good! I feel like we really connected with Abigail. I think she genuinely trusts us now, which is good because we can really help her-"

Rochelle made an sound of irritation. "Emmyyyyyy... you know I want juicy details. C'mon _something_ must have happened!"

The woman bit her lip as she tried to think of what to say to her best friend. She had no problem telling her, she just wasn't sure how to tell her in the crowded halls of the FBI without someone overhearing. Dr. Lecter was becoming a well known name in the FBI, with all his helping of Will.

"I'll take you silence as a 'yes'. So come ooooon, spill!"

She could see the elevators up a head, with no one waiting in front. Maybe she could get some privacy in there. Buying herself some time she asked, "where are you anyways? Shouldn't you be working?"

It didn't work. "I'm on the shuttle from the parking lot now. So I don't have all the time in the world. Spill!"

"Okay so it's really nothing" the agent sighed, pressing the button with the downwards arrow. The icon lit up a bright green colour and began to ding as it descended from the upper floors. "I just did something kind of stupid."

Rochelle gasped "Oh. My. God. Did you sleep with him?!"

"What? No!"

She couldn't help but laugh as her friend groaned. "Ugh that's no fun. Okay, so what did you do?"

Emilia stepped into the elevator and pushed the button to close the doors. With a soft swoosh of metal, she was alone.

"I gave him a kiss goodbye."

Pause. "What?"

Hazel eyes stared down at the dark brown boots on her feet, her black pants tucked into them seamlessly. "He walked me to the door, we said goodbye, and then I just... I don't know! I leaned up and kissed him." Emilia's face was burning by the time the elevator got to her floor. "There was no lead up, no signals, I just kissed this man I recently met... _out of the blue_."

Sudden loud laughter poured out of the device in Emilia's hand. "Oh my god, Emmy. You're the cutest. Who cares? Strangers kiss all the time. I bet he enjoyed it! What did he say after?"

It was Emilia's turn to groan. "I don't know. I left."

"You what? What do you mean you left?"

The elevator doors swoosh open as it arrived on the floor for the Evil Minds Facility. The agent walked out into the hall and was relieved to see no one there. "Roch I told you. It was a _goodbye kiss_. A.K.A. I kissed him then left." Laughter erupted again. "See?! Not only do I still need to see him since I almost work with him, it was the most random thing. I don't know what happened!"

"This made my morning. And I was already having a pretty good morning!"

"Hey! Yeah let's focus on that shall we? You spent the night at Edward's then?" Emilia tried to quickly change the subject. Her friend humored her this time.

"I certainly did! And let me tell you, boy is _good_!"

The woman chuckled as her friend regaled her with her night. Tapping her ID once more, Emilia pushed the doors open to the EMRF.

"So is it serious? That's, what, 6 dates now? You always say never put up with someone that long unless you see end game." A sense of comfort washed over the brunette as she passed by the cases leading up to her desk. She paused by the Ripper's case for a moment out of habit, scanning the items to ensure everything was where she'd left it. She always hoped one day she'd look at the case and be struck with a sudden revelation about the Ripper, but she hadn't as of yet.

"Well" Rochelle paused. "Maybe? I don't know Emmy, I really like this guy."

Emilia smiled. "Well, I obviously need to meet him first."

Her friend chuckled. "Only if you stop calling him Edward. I told you he goes by Eddie!"

"Maaaaybe" she replied. "If I like him."

The friends said their goodbyes as Emilia walked over to her desk. She was surprised to see a dark haired man standing by her desk.

"Will?" she asked, approaching from behind. The man turned and offered her his usual somber smile as she rounded the desk. She dropped her purse on the ground beside her chair and started to unbutton her camel coat. "Is everything okay?"

The man nodded and turned away, leaning on back on the desk. Once her coat was off and resting over her chair she joined him. The pair stared out in silence for a couple minutes before Will Graham spoke.

"I feel..." he paused, searching for the words. "I feel foggy."

Emilia remained silent, letting him continue.

"I've been sleep walking, but it's like nothing I've ever experienced before. I close my eyes for a moment, in bed or even at my desk, and when I open them I'm somewhere else. And I have no memory of getting there. The police found me wandering a couple streets down from my house last night. All I remember is going to bed, then blinking and the police car was in front of me and I was outside." He ran a hand over his tired face and let out a slow breath.

Emilia looked on sadly, unsure of how to comfort the man. She had no idea what was causing this, and no experience of anything similar to draw on. She simply rested a hand on his shoulder and gave a small squeeze. "Have you talked to anyone about this? I don't mean to sound ungrateful for you opening up to me, but I'm afraid my knowledge of brain chemistry isn't that great."

Weary blue eyes looked at her as he raised a hand to his shoulder and pat the back of hers. "I know, I just... want to talk about to someone about it. I saw Dr. Lecter this morning but..."

Emilia tried to keep her face neutral at the mention of the doctor name.

"... I just wanted to talk to someone who wouldn't try to fix me. If that makes sense."

The woman was touched by Will's declaration. She knew he didn't have many colleagues in the FBI, but she was glad to be becoming one. Trying to lighten the mood, she nudged his shoulder gently. "What? You think I can't fix you? Maybe I have some special power you don't know about yet."

Will laughed, his mood lightening every so slightly. "So what's on your agenda today?"

The woman reached over her head, stretching her back before letting her arms drop with a sigh. "I have some stuff to catch up on here, and I need to check in with Katz up stairs on a case. That will take up my morning, I imagine. Then I'll probably work on the Ripper case a bit after lunch. Why?"

Running a hand over his beard, Will looked at Emilia out of the corner of his eyes before lowering his gaze to the floor. "Would you like to join me for lunch? My class is cancelled in the afternoon, so maybe I could help you with the Ripper case a bit?" Emilia was surprised by how almost nervous the man suddenly got. "You know they say a fresh set of eyes can help."

The brunette woman smiled. "That sounds really nice. If you want we can grab food then come down here? Less noise and people, and I have a feeling you could do without both."

"Perfect. I'll see you in the cafeteria at 12:30?" Will got up and started to take his leave.

"It's a date!" Emilia called joyfully, laughing softly at the look of fear that crossed Will Graham's face. "I'm kidding! See you at 12:30 for our platonic work lunch."

* * *

If anyone walked in the Evil Minds Research Facility in that moment, they would have been met with an odd scene. Passed the numerous cases and pieces of evidence was a large oak desk, which usually house various papers strewn across it's top. But this time, on that desk were two FBI agents sitting cross legged on either side, facing the centre where their two lunches sat. The pair stayed in this position for almost two hours, slowly eating and chatting away.

If anyone were to ask, it was a 'working lunch'.

As the man finished explaining his latest case, a silence fell on the agents.

"Wow" Emilia mumbled, taking a bit of her wrap. "That's sad."

Will had just finished filling her in on the case of the 'Lost Boy'. He and Jack had wrapped up the case the previous day, but it was still eating at him.

"You said the O'Halloran boy, Christopher, was taking in for questioning? Maybe that's what's been bugging you. Knowing this poor kid is going through so much. People who manipulate children like that are sick. I'm sure he'll be back with his parents soon enough though."

The man sighed and shook his head. "No, that's not it. And I don't think Christopher will be going back to his family any time soon." Emilia looked at him quizzically so he elaborated. "They went to the house at a deliberate time. The O'Halloran's go on a family trip every year the week before Christmas. Hence the packed suitcases in everyone's rooms. According to other family members they left every year on the 15th of December. I find it hard to believe that the Lost Boys coincidentally showed up on that exact date, don't you? Christopher must have told his new 'mother' that the family would be leaving that night."

The woman swallowed her bit of food and processed the information. "You think the boy was more of an active piece than just a pawn?" Will nodded, a grim look on him face. "Shit. That woman must have really fucked him up. To want to kill your own family like that..."

"The ground work was already there" Will commented, taking a large bite of his lunch. Once he finished he continued. "There were signs that Christopher didn't have the best home life. Frequent fights with the siblings, feeling neglected by the parents. Classic middle child syndrome. He wasn't the only one. The previous family also planned a holiday trip every year. They were all killer the day before they left as well. It's too much to be merely a coincidence."

The woman nodded. The pair chatted a bit more to lighten the mood before a comfortable silence fell on them as they finished up their lunches. Suddenly a thought came to Emilia. "What do you do for Christmas, Will?"

"What?" he questioned, obviously thrown off the by sudden topic change.

"Christmas! It's a little over a week away. You must have plans. Do you see family or friends?" Emilia elaborated.

The man let out a humorless dry laugh and shook his head. "Not even close. I tend to spend the holiday's with my ever growing family of strays. It's almost poetic you could say."

Emilia playful rolled her eyes. "My roommate and I normally have a few people over for way to many drinks and a lot of fatty foods. I'd say you should come to that, but we aren't doing it this year."

"That's a shame, why not?"

The woman rose from her spot on the desk and began to tidy up the garbage from their lunch. "My roommate, Rochelle, her grandmother is pretty sick and they don't think she has much time left. She's flying back to Jamaica on the 20th and meeting her parents there. They invited me, but I didn't want to intrude. Her grandmother is a really special lady."

Will Graham nodded, helping to clean up as well. "You and your roommate seem really close."

A smile pulled on the woman's lips, lifting the mood considerably. "Very. I consider her my family. Every since my sister passed away the relationship with my parents diminishes a little every year. I consider her all I have really. And her closest relative are her parents in Florida, so she doesn't see them much. We have a few friends that we made in school that are still around, but every gets so busy with their lives that it's hard to see them often."

When Will said nothing, Emilia turned to see the man lost in thought. He had one of his hands stroking his beard, his eyes twitching slightly as his brain crunched away. "Forgive me if this is a bit forward... but why don't we spend Christmas eve together at my place? Abigail Hobbs also has no family, maybe she'd want to be there too..."

"That's a great idea, Will. I'd love too. And I'm sure Abigail would love to also." The brunette smiled and gave the man's shoulder a reassuring squeeze. "Now, let's tackle some Chesapeake Ripper business. That way I won't be empty handed if Jack asks what I've done all day." Emilia gave a playful wink and walked over to the case. Fishing out her set of keys, she unlocked the various display cabinets. Lastly, she unlocked on the of bases to reveal a box of plastic gloves, large tweezers, and other equipment to use with the items.

* * *

Let me know what you guys think so far! Xox


	13. Chapter 13

Emilia pulled up to the house down the long driveway. She taped off her GPS, having used to to get to the address Will had given her. His home was bigger than she imagined. Reaching over, the woman grabbed her purse and the large brown paper bag that held 3 wrapped presents before climbing out of her car. Her boots crunched the fresh snow on the ground as she hurried to the front door of the house. A gloved hand reaches up and knocked gently.

"Coming!" A girls voice echoed from inside.

Moments later, a familiar brunette head approached the door. The wood creaked as Abigail Hobbs swung open the door to Will Graham's house.

"Emilia!" She said joyfully, wrapping her arms around the older girls neck. "Come inside, Will is in the living room."

Allowing Abigail to guide her forward, Emilia felt the warmth from the house seep into her cold body. She started to unravel herself from her scafe and unbutton her coat as she entered the large living room. Will rose from his spot in the couch and walked over.

"Did you find the place okay?" He asked as he took her coat from her. The woman nodded.

"Your property is beautiful, Will. And so it the house. " She smiled at him, which he returned, before a sound caught her ear.

The blue eyes man ran a hand through his messy locks. "The welcome party is back it seems, I hope you're ready." Will walked over to the back of the room where a group of dogs stood anxiously on the other side of the back door. He opened it, and they rushed to inspect the newcomer.

"Oh hello!" Emilia said happily as she kneeled down to pet them.

There was another knock at the door and the dogs quickly abandoned Emilia to rush over to it. As Will went to answer it, the female agent joined Abigail on the couch by the fireplace. The younger girl snaked her arms around one of Emilia's and beamed up at her. "This is such a great Christmas" she said softly. "I thought I would be spending it alone in Port Haven, to be honest."

"We would never let that happen, Abigail" the older girl said, smiling down at the other.

The dogs made their back into the living room and made themselves comfortable in front of the fire. Will followed after them. "The last of the party has arrived."

A tall form stepped up beside the shorter man.

"Hannibal!" Abigail said delightedly and sprang off the couch to give the man a hug.

Emilia wasn't sure if it was the chill from outside or the simple fact of who walked in through the open door that sent a shiver down her spine. She felt her throat get dry. Emilia wasn't sure why exactly she was so nervous. She knew Doctor Lecter would be coming, Will had mentioned he invited him, and why wouldn't he given that he was one of Abigails guardians. The kiss was a thing of the past now, since Emilia had see the doctor at work a few times since then. The pair had made small talk about the various cases and such around the FBI, neither mentioning the incident at the door. However without the buffer of work Doctor Lecter's presence felt intense to Emilia, like she was being suffocated by a hot unseen pressure all around her.

As the doctor was released from the hug of the younger girl, his maroon eyes found Emilias. As if sensing her dismay, his lips curled into a handsome smile. "Emilia, a pleasure to see you."

The woman offered a smile, one that she was sure came off as nervous and awkward. "You as well, Dr-"

Doctor Lecter raised an eyebrow.

"...Hannibal." Emilia corrected.

She hoped the burning of her face was only apparent to herself, but the smile Abigail gave her as she curled up next to the older girl told her otherwise.

The night continued on, filled with lighthearted laugher and fun. After losing numerous times in every card came imaginable, Emilia politely excused her self to get some fresh air. As she walked to the door she grabbed her scarf of the her jacket and wrapped it around herself. She was too lazy to be bothered with her jacket at the moment and was quite warm from the fire inside. Opening the door, the cold air hit her face like delightful little needles. She walked over to the porch railing and rested her hip against it. The night was quiet, more quiet than Emilia could every remember it being around her little apartment balcony. But it was nice to hear nothing but the rustling of the wind in the dark tree branches.

"It's rare pleasure to get lost in the silence of nature" a deep voice said from her left.

Emilia smiled, eyes never leaving the forest in front of her. "I forget the world can be this peaceful sometimes. Working in the FBI is so hectic, I miss the calm of silence."

"Do you take your cases home with you, like our good friend Will?" Hannibal asked, joining her at the railing and staring out as well.

She chuckled. "No. At least I never used too. Maybe the Ripper case crossed my mind on occasion, but that's it. I find ever since the ordeal with Abigail my life has been so chaotic. Between the Research Facility, extra cases Jack assigns, and Abigail... I feel like tonight is the first time in a while I can just stand still and breathe. Actually... the last time I felt this relaxed was at the dinner we had with Abigail. It was nice to just stop for a bit."

Emilia turned to the doctor with an embarrassed smile and was unsurprised to find his eyes already on her. "That's sounds lame doesn't it? Like textbook cliche?"

Thin lips curled into a smile before parting to speak. "Not at all. Most people don't take time to enjoy the calm of stillness. They are too wrapped up in themselves. Silence is also a truth some would rather not face. It allows us to see ourselves in our truest nature, without distraction. Such things can frighten some." At some point during his speech Hannibal's eyes drifted back out to the forest, but they were back on Emilia now. She turned back to the forest and said the first thing that came to her head, anything to pull herself out of the maroon gaze that was swallowing her.

"That reminds me of the something Iago said in Othello" she said, searching her brain for the quote. "For when my outward action doth demonstrate the native act and figure of my heart in compliment external, 'tis not long after but will i wear my heart upon my sleeve for daws to peck at..."

"I am not what I am" Hannibal finished for her.

The woman smiled. "When all the noise and crowds are gone, it's hard to hid what we'd rather not see. Or have others see." She turned back to the doctor. "Maybe that's Will's problem, he has too much silence. Not enough distraction."

Hannibal nodded. "Perhaps, but it is that that let's Will empathize with every person he meets. He can get so close, because he has so much space within himself." Maroon eyes turned back to the dark forest. "My adoptive Uncle Roberto lived on a large property near a forest. I have many memories as a young man finding peace between those trees. Such moments made me who I am today. I would say Will is lucky to live out here."

"I'm jealous. I've always lived in crowded areas. My parents lived in a suburb when I was younger. From there it was in a dorm room, to the small apartment I live in now. I'm always surrounded by people and noise." A shiver shot through Emilia as a particularly cold breeze blew over the porch. She pulled her scarf tighter around her, trying to keep out the chill. Hannibal began to unbutton his blazer. "Oh no, I'm fine really."

He ignored her and wrapped his jacket around her shoulders. "You'll get cold," she protested in vain.

"Your concern is misplaced" he said with a small smile, "though not unwelcome."

A comfortable silence fell on the pair. Maroon eyes fixed Emilia's hazel ones, holding her gaze. Emilia felt her cheeks grow warm and her stomach twisted. The feelings were amplified when Hannibal gently brushed his knuckles against her cheek. He then moved them under her chin, to gently tilt her head towards him. Emilia's sharp intake of breath was muffled by Hannibal's soft lips brushing against her own. Without thinking, she leaned forward and deeped the kiss. Just as the doctor's hand began to move behind her head, a small couch sounded from the left.

Taking a step back, Emilia saw Abigail standing in the doorway to the house with a smug smile on her lips. "Will asked if anyone wanted a coffee?"

"Coffee sounds great" Emilia managed to squeak out. She gently shrugged off the blazer and handed it back to the owner. "Thank you, I feel better now." She wiggled passed the Hobbs girl with a polite 'excuse me' and hurried into the warm living room. Abigail stepped through the door and stood outside with Hannibal for a minute or two before the pair returned inside.

Emilia ventured into the kitchen, asking Will if he needed any help. The coffee was just finished brewing, so she poured it into four mugs and carried them out on a tray. After placing it down on the table she curled up on the floor across from the fire, resting her back against the couch behind her. Abigail plopped herself down in the cushions above the older girl, while Will and Hannibal sat in the two remaining armchairs. After everyone had made their beverage to their liking, Will pulled three boxes from behind his chair.

"Hey, we said no gifts!" Emilia laughed.

"And what exactly is in that?" Will countered, gesturing to the large brown paper bag Emilia had brought with her.

She waved him off as she reached for it, "well obviously I knew I was going to cheat." Hannibal stood and walked into the other room, emerging with three perfectly wrapped boxes. Abigail reached behind the couch and pulled out 3 small gift bags.

"Seems everyone had the same idea" Abigail grinned. It was clear she was enjoying herself, and Emilia couldn't help but smile warmly towards her. Given what tragedies had struck her recently, Abigail Hobbs seemed to be finding joy in Christmas with her makeshift family.


	14. Chapter 14

_Hannibal leaned back against the railing of the porch, running his thumb over his lips as he watched Emilia nervously dash into the safety of the house. She was an interesting women, and it enticed him. There were so many layers to Emilia Monroe and Hannibal wanted to peel them all away. He had begun his seduction of the young agent to keep an eye on her knowledge of the Ripper case, but soon after became intrigued by the way she viewed his work. Perhaps there was more use for Ms. Monroe then he initially thought. Hannibal pulled himself from his thoughts and put on the blazer he had lent the women. The subtle scent of orange blossom and vanilla left by her made his mouth start to salivate slightly. Noticing he wasn't alone, his maroon eyes focused forward on the young girl before him._

 _"You should go inside Abigail" he said. "You'll catch a chill."_

 _The girl smirked at him, ignoring his attempt to distract her from commenting on what she walked in on._

 _"I like you two together" she said smugly, relishing her victory of catching something secret. "I thought I saw something when we had dinner."_

 _Hannibal smirked. "What you saw was merely an exchange between friends."_

 _Unconvinced, Abigail raised an eyebrow. "Friends? I may be young but I'm not stupid."_

 _The doctor stepped towards the girl and rested his palms on both her shoulders. "I never have, nor will I, accuse you of being unintelligent. I simply cannot speak to anything I am uncertain of." When the girl's head began to drop in defeat, Hannibal tilted it upwards. "But, I will admit... I find Emilia incredibly fascinating. I know you seek a family, and I would like for Emilia and myself to be that for you. But good things come to those who wait, right?"_

 _The girl nodded, her mood picking up again. "Let's go inside" he instructed, leading her to the back door and into the warmth._

* * *

Steam whirled up from the mug of coffee in the brunettes hands. She sat curled up on her couch, wrapped in a blanket, facing her open laptop on the coffee table. Her leggings and comfy baggy knit sweater were a contrast to the girl on the screen, in her tank top and denim shorts. Rochelle was still in Jamaica, in the heat and sun, while Emilia sat with the grey snowy Virginia landscape outside her apartment window.

"She made it until Christmas at least" she offered her friend sadly. "I mean I know it hurts that she's gone, but at least you got to celebrate with her one last time."

Rochelle nodded, taking a sip of her water. "Yeah, it just sucks still. I hate seeing my parents so upset too. I'll probably stay another couple of days, then head back. Sorry Emmy."

Bring her mug to her lips, Emilia waved off her friend with her other hand. "Don't even worry about that. You had a death in the family, I totally understand you wanting to stay later. I assumed you would be staying until at least after New Years Day. Besides, I was thinking of inviting Abigail over tomorrow evening. A girl's night in for New Years should help her feel a bit more normal."

Her friend nodded.

"That reminds me! How was the Christmas Party?" Rochelle asked, distracting her from her morose situation. "And don't hold anything back, that's an order from a sad best friend! I need this."

Emilia wrapped the blanket around herself tighter and smiled. "It was nice. It was just Will, Abigail, Hannibal and I-"

" _Hannibal_?" Her friend teased. "Since when are you on a first name basis with _Hannibal_?"

The girl on the couch rolled her eyes, "He insisted... Anyways, it was just the four of us and it was really nice. We chatted, played some card games, exchanged presents. Very low key, but sweet."

"Ooooooh, presents! Tell me more. Did everyone give everyone presents? What did you get Dr. Lecter? What did Dr. Lecter get _you_?"

"I got him decanter. Since he hosts a lot of dinners, I figured he could use another one. It was handmade from this art Christmas Market. He seemed to really like it.  
At least she hoped he did. The doctors seems happy when he opened it, but she could never really tell with Hannibal Lecter. "He got me tickets to see Swan Lake. We're going in a few days. We had talked about ballet that time I had dinner with him and Abigail. I guess he remembered."

"Emmyyyy! He got you tickets to go see a ballet with him? I have a good feeling about this!" Rochelle paused, her face in thought, before frowning and letting out a sigh. "I'm so mad I won't be there. I would love to see you guys interact, this is all so weird and amazing."

"Weird? You're the one who was all for this! I had just met the guy and you were calling me Mrs. Lecter" Emilia protested, shaking her head at the nonsense her friend had come up with in the first month after she had met the doctor.

The other girl laughed. "I did, and I stand by that! It's just he's a renowned surgeon and therapist and stuff... It's like sleeping with your professor or something. It's very scandalous... very Hollywood."

"Well then, for that I won't tell you the juiciest part."

The other girl paused. "What? Something juicy happened? Why didn't you lead with that?!"

Emilia shrugged. "Now you'll never know!" After a solid minute of Rochelle begging, the brunette finally caved. "Okay okay! He kissed me. Like he initiated a kiss. And it wasn't a little peck... it was a real kiss."

Laughter erupted from her throat at her friend on the screen, shaking her so that she almost spilled her coffee. The sound Rochelle made was an almost inhuman shriek of joy. "We were outside on Will's porch talking, there was a pause, and he just kissed me. Before you ask, it didn't amount to much. Abigail kinda walked in on us and I went inside." Emilia paused and bit her lip. "But honestly Roch, and I know this sounds lame, but I kinda think I'm starting to have feelings for him. He's just charming and smart, and like... I don't know, he has this whole sexy mysteriousness about him. Like I can't remember the last time I was this flustered around a guy." Blush crept up her neck and cheeks. "And his smile... it gives me shivers just thinking about it."

Rochelle squealed again. "I am so happy, oh my god. Ugh, now I'm even more upset I'm not there for your first date. All those feelings are because he is a _man_ , Emmy. We're used to dating boys."

Emilia wrinkled her nose. "First date?" But as she thought on it, it kind of was in a way. "I guess so, it just sounds so high school. Oh god, that makes me even more nervous!"

The girl on the screen chuckled as she watched her friend bury her face in a nearby pillow. "Ooooooh! what are you going to wear? You definitely don't have anything for this kind of thing."

"What are you talking about?" Emilia scoffed. "I've been to a ballet before. I do have nice clothes, lady."

Rochelle's curls bounced as she shook her head. "You have 'show with friends' clothes. You have 'dinner with a cutie from the cafe' clothes. You _do not_ have 'evening with a older famous-in-his-field Doctor' clothes."

They spent the next hour or so sending each other pictures from various websites of what Emilia could wear. They found some good options, even with Rochelle sending a few dresses that would make even the most self confident person blush, and scheduled another video call when Emilia would go to the shop and try some on. After they parted ways, Emilia took out her phone and called the cellphone they had given Abigail. The younger girl seemed thrilled at the idea of spending her New Years with Emilia. After that, she needed to call one of Abigail's 'guardians' to arrange taking her out for the evening, since she was not about to ask Alana Bloom. Scrolling through her contacts, she hesitated over _Dr. Hannibal Lecter_. She had never called him before, he had only called her once, and just the thought made her stomach twist in nervous knots. Emilia scrolled again. _Will Graham_. Nodding to herself in assurance of her decision, she hit the call button.

"Hello?"

He sounded angry?

"Hey Will, it's Emilia. I'm sorry if this is a bad time-"

A heavy sigh cut her off. "No" he replied, back to his weary tone. "Sorry. I'm just a little... frustrated."

"I get that" Emilia offered. "Hey, if you're not busy... you're welcome to come over for a coffee? You can vent all you want, I'm a good listener." Realizing she just asked Will I-Don't-Like-People Graham over for coffee, she mentally smacked herself. "That's dumb, I'm sorry... I just find talking helps and..."

"That sounds nice actually."

The woman tried not to sounds surprised in her response, "oh? Okay, perfect. I'll, uhm, text you the address. I was planning on staying in all evening so whenever is convenient for you."

Will thanked her and they ended the call. Looking around her apartment, she made a note of what needed a bit of tidying and quickly texted Will her address.

* * *

Emilia had just finished cleaning when there was a knock on her door. As she swung the door open she was happy, and slightly surprised, to see Will already there. "Someone let me in" he said, rubbing the back of his next as he nodded towards the elevator.

Emilia laughed, "happens all the time. We're not supposed to let 'strangers' in, but everyone does if someone is waiting."

The man nodded in understand before holding up the case of beer in his hand. "I, ah, thought maybe we needed something stronger. Well... I needed something stronger."

The woman smiled before letting out a small 'oh!'. "Please come in! I'm making you stand in the hall for no reason. I'll put the beer in the fridge. Have a seat on the couch!"

After loading the extra beers in the fridge, Emilia opened the two remaining and joined Will on the couch. She passed the man his beer and sat with her back against the arm rest. "So..." she started gently, folding her legs under her. "Want to talk about what's bothering you?"

Will let out an exhausted sign, taking a gulp of his beer and resting into the back of the couch. He ran a hand over his tired face, his signature move it seemed, and stared up at the apartment ceiling. He told Emilia about his sleepwalking incident and his chat with Hannibal after work. She was surprised by his deduction regarding the wedge the doctor was seemingly driving between her new friend and their boss, though not in total disbelief. Hannibal did strike her as someone with a penchants for the mischievous. He did after all seem to like making her flustered.

"Do you agree?" Emilia asked, returning to the couch with two more beers and some snacks. "With what Hannibal said about Jack?"

The dark haired man shrugged. "Maybe? I'm not sure. My mind feels foggy. I don't know what's real and what's a dream. It feels like I'm living in someone else's head." Will paused, taking a sip from his second beer. "Dr. Lecter asked if I felt abandoned by Jack. I wouldn't say I feel 'abandoned' but I do feel... alone? Like a ship out to sea... floating by itself in dark waters. If that's makes an sense."

He hung his head, almost discouraged.

The other agent placed her beer down on the table, leaning forward to place her hands on Will's that hung limply at his side. "Maybe you need to start looking for a lighthouse?" She smiled warmly at him, giving his hand a little squeeze. "I know what you do isn't easy, and I know I can't relate in the slightest, but you're not alone. Jack... he can get too into his head sometimes. He doesn't show what he's really thinking because he's thinking too much and too far ahead. When he gets worried, he can shut down a bit. He thinks it shields his friends. I can assure you though, he would never abandon you. And if you don't believe me about Jack, believe me about me. Anything you need, any grounding or reassurance, I'm your girl. That's what friends are for."

Will gave her hand a squeeze back and offered a small smile. "I'm not that familiar with 'friends'. You'll have to bare with me on getting used to that idea. I appreciate it though." He paused for a moment before continuing. "You have a lot of confidence in Jack Crawford."

"I do" she said confidently. "Jack helped me get where I am today, and he helped me through everything with my sister."

He nodded. "What was it you called about, by the way? Not that I minded, you just never mentioned it on the phone."

"Right! I wanted to ask if you can sign out Abigail for tomorrow evening? I thought her and I could have a girls night in for New Years."

The male agent considered the idea for a moment before nodding. "I think she'd like that."


	15. Chapter 15

Hannibal and Will approached the dark brick apartment building in silence. As they approached the door, a middle aged woman entering the building noticed them and paused to hold the door open. Once they got closer the doctor noticed a sign on the door the read 'Sorry, we can't let in strangers' in bold letter. He raised an eyebrow, catches Wills attention as he muttered a thank you to the woman. She smiled and walked down the hall to the left, the two gentlemen heading towards the elevator.

"It happens all the time" Will explained. "According to Emilia."

The doctor nodded. As the pair waited, maroon eyes surveyed the surroundings. It wasn't a terrible looking building, the interior as plain and simple as the exterior. It smelt of paint, the stark white trim being the most logical source, with the faint smell of soil from the two sad looking plants by the front door. It wasn't too long before the elevator dinged and the two men entered the small box. There were only seven floors in the building and while the journey to the third took no time, the stale smell of the elevator making the trip seem longer. As the doors opened with another ding, the two men exited and began to walk down the non-descript halls. They stopped in front of apartment 305 and knocked. Music and laughter could be heard behind the wood. It noise halted and a soft 'coming!' sounded. A door opened a little ways down the hall and an angry looking older women poked her head out. Seconds later Emilia's door opened and Hannibal was flooded with the scent of orange blossom and vanilla. He felt his blood pump a little faster beneath his skin. The brunette smiled at the two men, unaware of the angry woman glaring from down the hall. The older women cleared her through to catch the girl's eyes and when she did a small blush crept across Emilia's cheeks. She turned to face the woman and offered an apologetic smile.

"Sorry Mrs. Varmabetian!" Emilia called. "We'll keep it down."

The girl stepped back to allow the men to come in. "Sorry, she's always on our case about noise. Come on in!"

It was the first time Hannibal had seen her dressed casually. The woman wore black workout shorts that cut off high on her upper thigh, with a thin white t-shirt that stopped at her hips. He found his eyes discreetly wandering along the exposed flesh, culinary preparation no longer the motive for his search. This new game he was playing was much more enjoyable then what he had initially planned. But he needed to pace himself for everything to go accordingly. The doctor tried to focus his thoughts on something else, taking in the layout of the apartment. It was modest in size, enough space for a kitchen and living room. Off to the side were three closed doors, most likely the two bedrooms and restroom.

"Will, Hannibal" Abigail greeted brightly. She stood from the couch and smoothed our her purple pyjama bottoms before walking over to the men and sitting on one of the kitchen stools. "Thank you for letting Em take me out last night. We had a lot of fun."

Hannibal was intrigued by the use of a nickname for Emilia by the younger girl. They were becoming quite close it seemed. "We're glad you had a good time" he replied.

"Would either of you like coffee?" The older brunette asked as she poured one for herself and Abigail. Both men accepted and she filled two more mugs. As she reached into a high shelf to get the sugar, Hannibal was once again focused on the smooth skin of her long legs. He watched the muscles tense and release under the skin, unaware of the large blue eyes sparkling joyfully in his direction. Emilia retrieved the sugar and brought it over with the mugs. Abigail grabbed two and announced she would bring one to Will, who had ventured to the balcony, throwing the doctor a sly wink as she departed.

"I told you" Emilia said, standing behind the counter with the doctor and offering him his coffee. "My small plain apartment pales in comparison to your house. Hell, your office even."

Hannibal smiled and took a sip of his drink. "Nonsense. Your apartment is full of character."

"So that's your nice way of saying it's shabby?" She chuckled. "Thank you, you and Will, for letting Abigail come. She really needed it. I feel like she was genuinely happy and herself last night."

The man nodded, staring ahead at the pair on the balcony as he sipped his coffee. "Are you excited for the ballet tomorrow?"

A blush crept up the girl's neck and cheeks. "Yes!" She said, with a genuine smile. "I haven't seen Swan Lake in a couple years, and it's probably my favourite ballet. I can't thank you enough for the tickets."

The doctor smile, winking at the young women. "Spending an evening in your company is gratification enough." Satisfied with the redness in the woman's cheeks he changed the subject. "Forgive me for prying, but I must ask, why you went to Will regarding Abigail rather than myself.'

Emilia's eyes widened. "I, uhm..." She let out a long sigh, turning to lean her back against the counter. He watched as she considered her options, to tell the truth or make up some excuse. Hannibal knew why, regardless of her answer. It only matter insofar as how fast and well his plan was progressing. "I just wasn't sure what this-" she gestured between the pair "was and how it pertains to Abigail and work. I didn't want it to seem like I was trying to use you into getting something or... I don't know. I just felt nervous about it. Obviously. And I know you're very aware of how flustered you make me sometimes. I can tell by that mischievous smile you get." She said the last little bit with a soft smile on her pretty face.

 _Perfect_. Hannibal chuckled, "I don't think I've every been called mischievous before."

"Maybe not to your face" the younger woman said with a smirk.

The doctor stepped closer to her and took her chin between his fingers, "I daresay I agree with you."

He smiled down at her, internally pleased at his work unfolding slowly, before bringing her lips to his. He could feel her pulse quicken under his touch. When he pulled back he couldn't help the smirk that formed on his face at the glossy eyes woman in front of him. A slow smile formed on her full lips as she brought a finger up to gently run across his. "See?" she said in a voice that send a small shock to his gut. "Mischievous." She brought her lips up to his again, grazing them, before twisting away from his hand that sought to bury itself in her hair.

"Let's join the others on the balcony, shall we?" Emilia grabbed her mug as sauntered towards to door.

The older man nodded, trying to contain his closed lip grin. He wasn't the only one with a 'mischievous' side, and he was going to take pleasure in slowly pushing hers to new limits.


End file.
